The Prom
by Nyrki
Summary: Chapter 6. Thanks to unexpected help from a young girl, Cameron could unmask Riley. But what she fears most now is John's reaction and possible loss of the fragile bond she has with him. Will they be able to finally understand themselves? Jameron.
1. Chapter 1: The Promise

**THE PROM  
**

**Author: Nyrki**

**Chapter 1: The Promise**

This is a little story in 6 chapters I wrote after I produced a nanofic and get enough encouragement from friends from FF dot net, the blue wiki and Summer-Glau dot net to extend it into a full story. This is my first fiction and I wrote it in English which is not my native language (I'm French) so everyone could read it. Please take this into account when reading. I was so happy to read all these excellent fanfics after the frustration of the cancellation of the show I wanted to reciprocate.

If you don't like the story, feel free to tell, but please, no flaming or rude comments.

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim any rights to the Terminator films; the TV series, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles;" or any characters depicted within the films or TV series. I do claim the right to this story and all characters and situations of my own creation.

**Thanks to:** my two prestigious reviewers, **meanoldmoe** and **The1Russter**, who not only corrected my grammar and vocabulary but also my story mistakes. Without their help and support, I wouldn't have finished this story. They pushed me to make this story thicker and better than I imagined it would be at first.

You might want to have a look on their excellent fictions:

"Cameron 1999: First Day Back in Time" and "Terminator:Quest For Humanity" by meanoldmoe. His vision of Cameron is among the best I've seen.

"REUNION Revised Edition" by The1Russter, only to mention his main fiction he's just finished to rewrite.

I also thank all the writers of fictions I read who gave me the desire to try and write my own.

The scene with Sarah was written by The1Russter for me which I adapted just a little. Thanks again, Russell.

**

* * *

Prologue**

Cameron calmly closed the trunk of the silvery Mercedes CLS 550 over the dead body of Sarkissian's henchman she'd stuffed inside. She walked towards the driver's door.

Morris ran towards her and called her name "Hey, Cameron. There you are. Your brother's been looking for you."

He stopped and looked at the luxurious car. "Oh wow. Is this your car?" Morris' mouth hung open.

"No, it belongs to the guy I killed and stuffed in the trunk," Cameron deadpanned.

Morris stared at her, mouth gaping, not knowing what to say or think until John arrived seconds later. "Hey! Where've you been? Mom says we gotta get home right now." He noticed the car too. "What's up with the car?"

In total confusion, Morris could just repeat what Cameron told him moments ago "Cameron stuffed a dead guy in the trunk." He smirked as he finished.

John stared at Cameron with a hint of annoyance in his eyes, but she pursued with her logic, unabashed. "He was following us."

Morris preferred to consider she was joking and he finally laughed. _Cameron's really strange,_ he thought. _She has a dry sense of humor and really knows how to play her part to its very end._ "Your sister's dark, bro." he told John who chuckled at the remark. Then he turned to Cameron "You're gonna love the smiths."

Embarrassed, John strived to justify Cameron's off-limits dark humor. "Yeah, she's, uh, she's really goth," but the harm had already been done.

_She's so different__,_ Morris told himself. _There's no other like her. Man, I love this girl. Perhaps it's the moment to…_

But Cameron, unaware of Morris' train of thoughts and annoyed that they were losing time, swiftly turned to step in the car, ordering John, "Get in". This snapped Morris back to reality, as his eyes were previously lingering on Cameron's perfect ass.

He called out, "Wait, Cameron. Hey, um. There's something I... kind of need to ask you." He hesitated, unsure if she would accept.

"Um, you think maybe you might wanna go to the prom with me?" Morris looked at her with sad puppy dog eyes.

Cameron stared at him in utter lack of understanding of what he had just asked her. She froze a moment while searching her database but found nothing conclusive. John felt he had to do something if he wanted to go now, so he quickly advised her to accept. "Just say yes!"

Cameron decided to trust John's judgment if she wanted to go now, so without giving his advice much thought, she answered "Yes!"

Morris chuckled at the unexpected positive answer, he was excited and relieved she had accepted. _I can't believe she said yes… she is so hot_, Morris thought happily to himself.

Cameron drove back home in silence, unaware of the trouble she might be getting into.

# # #

**Some weeks later****, Tuesday afternoon** (after Cameron had suffered a car bomb explosion, reverted to her original SkyNet directive, decided to track John down and kill him, been deactivated after telling him she loved him, been saved from being burnt down, suffered amnesia and a software form of schizophrenia. All things considered, a very peaceful period of time)

John and Cameron were driving from school back to home, both sitting silently in the truck cab, John brooding over Cameron while he drove and Cameron looking strangely absent.

John was once again irritated by Cameron's acts, a recurrent behavior since that fateful day. Today's incident was minor nonetheless, he agreed. She insisted to team up with him for the chemistry test, against both his and the professor's opinion. "That's for your safety John" she tried to justify to him. The icing on top of the cake was, she managed to prevent him from seeing this girl he met some days ago. _What was her name? Ah yeah, Riley_. John was starting to smother, feeling constantly watched, a prisoner of the unremitting presence of the cyborg. _You just can't let me breathe a second, can you?_

In the meantime, Cameron was looking through the passenger window at nothing in particular. She looked deeply engrossed in thought. She didn't understand why he didn't want to stay close to her for the test, as manipulating chemical compounds can be extremely dangerous. But there was something more important. She didn't understand why John was constantly pushing her away since he brought her back the day she reverted. _That was illogical behavior_, she thought, _both during and after the events. He should have let me burn, that was the safest option to take. He has been reckless instead_. This is why she explained he couldn't be trusted anymore. She hoped he would understand. But John was now unexpectedly rejecting her, often reminding her of her true nature. A very unpleasant impression flashed through her systems, as she didn't know what to do about this situation.

An alarm suddenly flashed on her HUD. A timeout set several weeks ago had just elapsed. Cameron commanded her systems to show on her HUD the record she created then. It stated that she promised to 'go to the prom' with Morris, along with a warning for incomplete information, meaning she might not be able to make the right decision about it. Her systems recorded that the prom was scheduled in exactly two weeks time, hence the alarm.

She had collected information on the prom since then, of course, so she knew what it was about, but she still didn't have any clue about what to do with it and the promise she made.

Cameron broke the heavy silence. "John?"

"Hmm, what?" John replied after a short moment, he didn't look like he wanted to start a discussion.

"The prom night takes place in two weeks time." Cameron stated flatly.

This surprised John. He wondered why she was suddenly stating a completely random fact. _Is she going haywire again?_

"Oookay. And what does that has to do with anything?" Being only human, he had instantly forgotten about this event, not to mention they had been instructed by Sarah to get back home immediately.

"I promised Morris to go to the prom with him," Cameron explained.

"You promised what?" He couldn't believe she could have done this.

"Actually, you told me to accept Morris' invitation." She corrected, emphasizing on 'you'.

"I did? And when was that? I can't remember." Curiosity was getting the better of him. Besides, he had no reason not to believe her.

"It was the day before your… birthday, at the museum." She felt uneasy at mentioning the day of his sixteenth birthday, causing the hesitation. They had seldom discussed it since then, none of them wanting to mention that day. She knew it was a difficult topic and Cameron didn't know what she could do to make amends besides strengthening her protection mission.

Cameron's hesitation didn't remain unnoticed by John. He briefly harbored a sad look on his face as the memories flowed back.

Cameron continued. "I just killed one of Sarkissian's henchmen and we were leaving in his car when…"

"Ah, yeah. Now I remember." he cut her off. _So many things happened since then_, he thought, _including her trying to kill me among others_. However, he forced himself to focus on their discussion. "So you accepted. You have to go."

"I can't!" she stated sharply.

"Why?"

"My prime mission is to protect you. How can I protect you if I'm away?" she said in a tone like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

_Well, that was expected_, he thought. "Cameron, I don't require protection all the time. Look, mom and I are sometimes going to the mall without you. Nothing ever happened." John was trying to convince her to ease up on her surveillance. He was starting to think that, with Cameron gone, he could perhaps spend a nice evening with that girl Riley.

"No one is ever safe, Sarah and you keep repeating it," she retorted.

Caught by Cameron for the second time in very short period of time, John thought that her mind was getting ever sharper with each passing day, he had to be extremely cautious with what he could tell her. "Okay, but since Cromartie has been destroyed, the threat level lowered."

"You instructed me to stay in the house too," Cameron flatly added.

John remembered that Cameron had always asked to accompany them and the last time he refused, he could swear he saw a hint of sadness in her eyes. _She wouldn't willingly let me go, but she wouldn't tell me either. It's more than protection. It looks like… devotion_. But he dismissed this thought immediately at the idea of the date-to-be.

"And now I instruct you… well hum, I allow you to go to the prom," he told her, taking advantage of Cameron's sense of obedience. "And remember, you promised."

"But…"

"Ah, ah. No buts. You gave your word, so you can't step back on this one," John said firmly, wagging his finger in the air.

Cameron tilted her head and frowned. She didn't know how to respond. There was an obvious quandary between John's assertion and her mission directives she wasn't able to solve. She was unsure why a promise would be so important in John's eyes. If the success of a mission would depend on breaking a promise, she would willingly and remorselessly do it. She made a mental note to ask him later, after which she turned her head and resumed looking through the window. The pair remained silent for the rest of the drive.

# # #

Sarah was in living room sitting on the couch, reading a book when John entered with Cameron in tow.

"Anything new happen at school today?" Sarah asked, expecting nothing in particular.

John looked at Cameron and grinned. "Cam got asked to the prom."

"What?" Sarah sat up straight, her face in utter shock.

Cameron explained. "Morris asked me. He's John's new best friend."

"John, is this a joke?" Sarah turned on her son, hoping this was just one of his pranks.

"You know Cameron doesn't joke," he said with a straight face, though he felt like he could burst out laughing at his mom's reaction.

"No she doesn't," Sarah realized. Still she couldn't imagine the terminator going out to dance and having fun, like any normal girl. This was something she thought for certain that the cyborg was unable to do. Yet, for a reason unknown to her, Cameron seemed to have accepted the challenge. Fearing for the entire crowd's safety on the dance floor, she decided John should go with her.

"Okay, if she's going, you are going too." Sarah looked into John's eyes, her gaze never flinching.

"Mom!" John felt his date plan miserably fail.

"Don't Mom me. You're going and that's final. I'm not having tin-miss going to that shindig on her own." Sarah gave John a menacing look to her point across.

John tried to recover. "But I don't have a date!"

"Then ask a girl. They do go to your school, you know," Sarah smiled as she teased John.

Cameron crushed the glass she was holding. Sarah and John both looked at her, but her face remained blank, as she immediately proceeded to pick up the fragments and throw them in the trash. Her hand was slightly bleeding.

"It was already cracked. I'm sorry," she lied.

John then gave Sarah a look.

"Either that, or you get to take your Mom to the prom," she said quite seriously, her arms crossed in front of her and that 'I mean it' look on her face.

John, in great fear of what the kids would think if he took his mom, readily agreed to ask a girl. Maybe Becky Taylor his chemistry class teammate would go. "Okay mom, you win."

Cameron just smirked at John's departing back and began to leave too. _It would not look right for John to go to the prom with Sarah_, she thought to herself.

"Hey tin-miss," Sarah called.

"Yes?" Cameron replied with her typical blank expression when talking with Sarah.

"Watch yourself at this prom. Don't do anything that..." Sarah stopped mid-sentence. She was just about to lecture Cameron like she was her daughter and not a cyborg. Coming to her senses she looked Cameron in the eye and simply said. "Just be careful."

Cameron looked at Sarah questioningly, and then joined John in the kitchen to do their schoolwork. The few steps she made to reach him let her plenty of time to consider a crucial issue. After personal research on the subject, she had found out that she would need a 'prom dress'. Always looking for the most accurate source of information, she decided she should ask Sarah for assistance. She also knew it wouldn't be an easy task, so she thought it would be preferable to wait until tomorrow before asking.

If she had been human, she would have thought, _all this damn prom-thing is going to be a total mess_. Instead, she had an uncomfortable feeling of not having full control of the events.

**Later ****at night**

John was sitting at the kitchen table, making some research on the Internet about the so-called meaning of these three dots when Cameron entered the room and silently sat at the table, just across him. She merely stared at him, silent and still.

John continued to work at his computer giving Cameron a sidelong glance from time to time, until her steady stare on him became unbearable.

He sighed heavily and let out, upset, "What?"

"Pardon me?"

He closed his laptop. "It's like you'd wanted to ask me something, but didn't know how to. Let's see… I bet you're bothered about this prom-stuff, aren't you?"

Surprised at how easily he could read her, Cameron decided to be frank. Anyway, there was much information she needed and only John could help her.

"Yes, I am."

"What's bothering you exactly then?" asked John with honest concern.

"I don't understand why I should comply with my promise. It is of no help in my mission. It can even be dangerous for you if I'm not around. You said this afternoon that I couldn't step back, but I think my mission overrides any other consideration."

_Uh oh! Cam, __I know how important to you your mission is, but I need you to learn how important a promise is too_.

"No Cam, you can't step back now. You have to understand that your promise commits you to do what Morris asked you. What do you think he would think if you don't?" John tried to challenge Cameron.

"I don't know," Cameron admitted.

"Well, he would be disappointed and think you can't be trusted. Is that what you want?"

"I don't care about his opinion on me," she declared matter-of-factly. _Only yours matters_.

"Okay, maybe not him in particular." John thought that if he generalizes, she would perhaps eventually get it. "I mean, in general wouldn't you care if anybody trusted you?"

"No, as long as you're still safe," Cameron said, pointedly following her logic.

John sighed. At this point, he considered that if Cameron wasn't put in the situation of the 'victim', she would never get it. _Okay, let's make you the victim then_. John couldn't help but grin at his own thought, making of a terminator the victim.

This made Cameron tilt her head in further confusion, but she was still expecting John to say something. So far, John's explanations had made no real sense to her.

John found the perfect example, as it included Morris into his demonstration. "Remember when you asked Morris to pretend he was John Baum when Cromartie investigated in the school?"

"Yes."

"He promised he would do what you asked him, right?"

"Yes."

"Did he comply?"

"Yes."

"So first, you owe him a favor. But my point is, how would you feel if he eventually didn't? Wouldn't you feel disappointed?" John asked.

"No. You said it yourself John. I'm just a machine, I can't be disappointed. I would just have to find an alternate strategy, including possibly engaging the T-888."

_Shit. That wasn't __convincing enough. Think, John!_

"Okay, now imagine Cromartie could eventually find and chase me." A slight unpleasant feeling flashed through her systems. "You can stop him, but you need Morris' help and he promises he will. But he doesn't, and…"

"Your logic is flawed," Cameron interjected. "If Morris couldn't complete a simple acting mission, I highly doubt he could have successfully helped me in a battle against Cromartie."

_You're pushing me__ Cam…_

"Anything can happen, Cam" he snapped. "I've even heard about terminators who could go haywire and chase the person they were supposed to protect." Cameron instantly looked down, but just before she did, John could swear he saw a hint of shame in her eyes.

_Ouch! Okay, that was a lousy trick. Sorry Cam, but I had to_.

"What I mean, you can always find yourself in a desperate situation," John justified himself. He resumed. "So he doesn't, and Cromartie grabs me." The unpleasant feeling grew. "Snaps my neck, no more John Connor. My life is over." He tilted his head backwards for more drama effect.

Cameron looked frozen at the idea and remained silent, her eyes big with fear. _I can't let anything happen to you._

"How would you feel, knowing that if he helped you, you could have saved me?" John sensed he was close to winning the battle.

Cameron hesitated, panicking at the idea she could fail her mission, "I… I don't know."

"Cam? Tell me how you would feel," John said in a louder voice, pressing the cyborg.

Cameron was totally lost for words. Upon John's insistence, she let out with deep worry in her voice "John, I… I would be lost. My life is useless without you." She was staring at him intensely.

_Wow! You never told me that__ before. Not in that way_. In front of this quite unexpected burst of emotion, John realized that Cameron's commitment to him had grown much farther than mere protection. _Did she just tell me she's got feelings for me?_ John promised himself to think about that later, he had to deal the deathblow for now.

"See? From your present reaction, I can tell you would actually feel betrayed, disappointed and angry. This is what it means to be the victim of an unkept promise." He paused. "I'm sorry I had to take you that far to make you understand the real meaning of a promise, but your promise to Morris is conceptually very close."

He paused again.

"This is why you have to keep your promise, Cam" he said, a triumphant look on his face.

"Oh." Cameron realized that keeping a promise could be valuable, even invaluable in some special cases. She took a mental note to do so whenever possible, that is to say when her mission didn't absolutely require the contrary. This note wasn't processed by her infiltration systems, though. Pretending to keep a promise was something already part of her infiltration protocols. No, this time, she just learned for herself its importance and moral significance.

"Thank you for explaining." She greeted John with one of those shy but genuine smiles John didn't remain unmoved by.

However, in the meantime, her not-so-dormant strategic systems recorded the information too. _Cleverly getting someone into making a promise to you could be an advantage_, Cameron thought to herself.

Cameron knew at that moment she would eventually go to the prom, with Morris. That didn't please her much however. Okay, Sarah told John to go too, but she felt like she would have preferred to go _with_ him instead.

John yawned and then replied to Cameron before she could even say anything. "Yes, I know. I need to rest. Got it, I'll finish tomorrow." He took his laptop, stood up and headed toward his bedroom

"G'night, Cam," he called out before disappearing inside his room.

"Good night John."

Cameron remained alone in the kitchen during the seventeen minutes and forty-nine seconds separating her from her next patrol, pondering what John had just said. Yet, there was something else she would need information on, but doubted she could find it on the Internet. She would give it a try tonight anyway. She never sleeps.

**Wednesday, lunch break**

Like every day at that time, the school main hall was noisy and bustling with students. Cameron unhurriedly went to her locker and opened it to get the required books for her next class. She didn't need them however, this was part of her school infiltration protocol. She was considered as a very good student, but it would be suspicious if she never brought any book with her.

Cameron was about to close the locker's door when she noticed two girls some meters away, discreetly looking at her, or at least attempting to. Cameron was constantly making efforts to draw minimum attention to herself, with quite some difficulties sometimes, so she wondered what they could be chatting about her. She pushed her audio sensors up to listen to their conversation, while she pretended to tidy up her already neatly presented locker.

"…can't believe what you're telling me, Sandra," one of the girls said.

"I swear it's true, Becky. Morris Villanova asked Cameron Baum for the prom," the other girl responded.

Cameron wondered how the girl named Sandra could have learned about this information. Either Morris somehow gave it away or she spied on him. She felt a pang of anger, she would have preferred that nobody knew. She knew mocking against her would intensify until then. Her left hand twitched and the book she was holding fell on the ground, which she hastily picked up.

"Do you think she will come dressed like that?" Becky asked. The two girls noisily burst out laughing, suddenly saturating Cameron's audio sensors, for which she winced.

"She's got the looks, but what a mess! She definitely doesn't know how to dress. Now I'm curious to see what she'll show up in," Sandra wondered.

"Nothing good for sure. She's hopeless," Becky responded, shaking her head.

"I have to admit she's got an ass to die for. It's a shame," Becky continued after a pause.

_I've never thought my ass could be a wea__pon,_ Cameron thought.

"Maybe, but she doesn't quite have the main assets a girl needs to make it with the boys. The ones they're all crazy about," Sandra remarked.

_What are thes__e assets?_ Cameron wondered in genuine curiosity, immediately knowing for what she would use them.

"Yeah," Becky assented, putting her hands on her boobs and slightly lifting them up, after making sure that nobody was looking at her. Both girls burst out laughing again.

_Oh!_

Cameron remembered the time she had no name yet. TOK-715 had just been modeled at the image of a human female resistance fighter, as Future-John did not remove every memory from her 'former' life. She'd considered then that her small feminine size and the useless meaty bulges on her chest were heavy liabilities, limiting her combat skills. Their only advantage was lying in her infiltration protocols. She'd posthumously thanked Allison Young that they were small enough.

And now she was there, wishing on the contrary that they were bigger. John seemed to like them big enough, she'd never failed to notice the more Riley exposed hers and the redder he was turning. John never talked about this topic with her, so she deduced that her breasts probably did not deserve any attention.

The bell rang, calling all the students to their respective classes. The hall emptied rapidly, soon leaving Cameron almost alone in the hall, perplexed. She looked down at her breasts, wondering in confusion about their size.

The two girls' comments were nasty but Cameron considered that they were probably right. She brusquely measured all the distance separating her from being a decent date to the prom. _Even my ass is lethal_, she thought to herself sadly. To her surprise, she felt hurt by the girls' comments. Beside John's, she had always ignored comments about her. She realized she had to make every endeavor to have John looking at her the way she wanted him to. She discovered that her strongest desire was to prove the two girls wrong… for John.

She hurried to her next class, she didn't want to be late.

END OF CHAPTER


	2. Chapter 2: The Dress

**THE PROM**

**Author: Nyrki**

**Chapter 2: The Dress**

Many thanks to my reviewers The1Russter, TCandBTVSluver, lovesummertime, olischulu, XxDeathStarxX, Velhu, meanoldmoe, PSG1JOHN, Lsquare, CloudyShadows and Pjazz. You guys rock.

* * *

Recap: Some weeks later after the events of "What We Beheld" (season 1, episode 9), Cameron remembers that she promised Morris to go to the prom with him. She tries to elude, but John explains to her why she has to keep her promise, which leads her to a new type of challenge for which she found she needed extensive external help.

**

* * *

Thursday**** morning**

When Cameron returned from her nightly patrol at 4:30 am sharp, she headed towards the window in the living room like she always did, standing there motionless, her eyes constantly scanning the outside for threats until the family wakes up. Only then could she leave her guard duty to prepare John's breakfast.

5:42 am. She heard some noise coming from upstairs. She immediately switched into combat mode and drew her gun, as it was an unusual early time for any member of the Connor family to wake up. She tilted her head and looked towards the stairs. However, according to the footsteps, she could rapidly ascertain that it was Sarah. She reverted to normal mode and put her gun away. As a confirmation, Sarah soon went down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen like she was in auto-pilot. Cameron was glad that, unlike the day before, she was alone for what she had to ask her. _That is good_.

She slowly stepped into the kitchen moments later, taking care to make sufficient noise not to startle Sarah and greeted her with an overplayed joyful "Good morning Sarah" and a slightly forced smile, all in the crafty goal to set the mother of the future savior of mankind in the best dispositions as possible for the major topic she had to discuss with her. It was a fruitless effort, nonetheless.

"Hmpf, G'morning," Sarah grunted in a hoarse voice, eyes barely open, as she remained focused on her hot cup of coffee.

Cameron immediately understood why she failed her little mission. Sarah hadn't drunk her coffee yet and it was known she was in a foul disposition until she did. _That is not good_.

Cameron always wondered about this very human characteristic. People needed time to be completely operational after wake up. _Maybe it is a biological way of rebooting and performing system scans_, she thought.

So she just declared, "The perimeter is 100% clear," and then simply undertook to prepare John's breakfast, unusually dragging on, taking much more time to do things than she normally did. But Sarah didn't notice. She was sipping her coffee and slowly waking up as her cup emptied.

Cameron was patiently waiting until Sarah spoke first.

Just when Sarah looked up Cameron, their discussion of the day before immediately popped in her mind. She could still not believe that the cyborg was about to go to the prom. _The machine may know what a prom consists of, but it surely can't grab the reason and social relations at play_, she reassured herself. Yet, the fact that Cameron apparently wishes to go still bugged her. She grew curious about what Cameron knew.

"So about that prom, will you go?" she finally asked.

"Yes, I will," Cameron swiftly replied, satisfied that Sarah introduced the topic she wanted.

"Do you know what it is?"

Cameron recited what she'd gathered on the subject. "In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal black tie dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of junior or senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students."

Sarah sighed. The cyborg's answer didn't disappoint her. In fact, she expected it. Obviously, she would have to give Cameron a bit more of background, anxious that the event turned out to blow their cover or worse, reveal Cameron's true nature. John once told her that Cameron's CPU had extended capabilities to learn. If it was true, Cameron must be able to understand, so she decided to give it a try.

"I didn't ask you to recite the dictionary, tin-miss," she snapped. "I mean, do you really know what it is? Why it takes place? What people do? What it means for them?" Sarah asked, looking Cameron right in the eyes.

"I think I do," Cameron replied. With her now better understanding of humans, she'd pushed her researches deeper than mere facts. "This is an elaborate event that students attend during their junior year of high school. They have the opportunity to enjoy themselves in a way that they aren't normally able to. It is a tradition to come with their dates. It can end up being a night that they remember all of their lives, and to get ready for it, there is a lot of preparation and excitement," she offered.

Sarah gasped. If Cameron did mean what she'd just said, then she'd understood more about it than she thought. She pushed the subject farther.

"What about the preparation and… excitement?" she asked, curiosity now getting the better of her.

"First task, find a date. This task is now completed. Morris asked me and I accepted."

Sarah realized that in initial utter shock at the news, she forgot to ask her why the day before.

"How come?"

"Actually, John advised me to accept and I complied." Cameron felt she didn't need to give further context.

"So it's all his fault? You couldn't think for yourself?" Sarah was beginning to understand that the terminator had been unintentionally dragged into this story, something that was quite usual, and therefore reassuring.

"Certainly not. I take full responsibility for my decisions," Cameron offered, in a constant worry to cover John.

Sarah thought that taking responsibility was something a terminator, teenager or not, could do without fear, remorse, anxiety or any other negative feelings of that sort. Lucky them. It was also true for positive ones, which was, in a way, sadder.

"Okay," she merely responded, not wanting to elaborate. "What's next?"

"Second task, get appropriate attire. Girls wear specific attire for this event." Following her usual cyborg ways, Cameron went straight to the point. "Sarah, I need to find a prom dress. Would you assist me in finding one, please?" she asked with softly pleading eyes in which Sarah could fathom no falseness or deception.

Sarah was never prepared for such a request from Cameron. She was surely ready to assist her in choosing a gun, although probably unnecessary, but what about a prom dress? She couldn't believe she ended up in such a situation. It was a brand new type of interaction she had with the machine. They never had such a discussion before. Sarah was shocked and it took her a short moment to answer.

"Well, hum, er, I've not been to a prom for some time, but it shouldn't be too difficult to choose a dress. It should be classic, that is to say nice, elegant, show off a bit of your… curves but without being too revealing."

"But I thought a dress was designed to be seductive. This is an efficient way to retrieve information from human males," Cameron stated. SkyNet had never failed to exploit the humans' weak points and this one was one of the weakest that went back to the dawn of time.

Sarah snapped her fingers in front of Cameron's face who looked back with a quizzically expression. "Hey, hey, leave strategy away for now! You're going to a party, not a mission. It's not about deception, it's for real," she said, trying to make Cameron think differently. "Your appearance shall be a delicate balance between being a conspicuous attractive woman and a whore. The difference between the two may be very tenuous, so be careful," Sarah explained. "You wouldn't want a herd of young men to rush towards you as soon as you enter the ballroom, would you?" she added and immediately knew it was useless. She'd just got caught again seeing the teenage girl and not the cyborg.

"That is very unlikely," Cameron said, puzzled. Her database didn't record this as an usual human behavioral pattern. "Besides, I'm prepared to face any massive frontal attack." she added, lifting up her chin in total self confidence.

_Yeah, I can imagine that too well_. "That was an image, my dear. Just make a good impression with your appearance, before doing the same thing with your behavior," she advised her, knowing well the latter would be harder, hence the reason why she was sending John too.

Cameron remained silent at Sarah's last statement, she was intently processing it. Her tactical systems were intently involved. _This is strange_, she thought, _this is almost harder to prepare than my previous missions_. It was yet another example that was making her understand that being human was far beyond than just mimicking it.

After a short moment of silence, Sarah informed her. "I think there's a shop at the mall where you could find one."

"Would you mind accompanying and assisting me for a tryout session? Maybe we can go this afternoon… please" Cameron asked with the same pleading eyes.

Sarah cringed. She was afraid. The hardened soldier was afraid. Not afraid of assisting in choosing a prom dress, but doing it for a terminator. It looked such out of place. However, deep down, she was also afraid that certain long and deep buried feelings could resurface. She had always wanted to give birth and raise a daughter, a sister to John. And Cameron, though cyborg she was, was presently looking so close to… She shook her head and dismissed the evil thought even before it took form. _I can't do that_, she thought.

_N__o_, she finally decided. She wouldn't retreat. That was only a dress tryout, after all. She'd blown up Cyberdyne, so she could face this new challenge.

"Hum, yeah, if you want. We'll go there on Saturday. You still have to go to school today," she said with a look that was trying to be reassuring and confident. She realized that her sentence sounded more like one of a concerned mother than an instruction to the cyborg.

"Thank you Sarah," Cameron said with a wider smile than she was accustomed to give her in sign of gratitude.

"You're welcome" Sarah replied in a low tone, looking down at her now empty cup. _Jesus, I can't believe I'm going out to a prom dress tryout for a terminator_, she thought. _Do I have to return to Pescadero?_ But maybe it wasn't what bothered her most.

"This was a prerequisite to third task, preparation. Now I can make an appointment with the hair-dresser," Cameron said, satisfied that the second task was on its way to completion and that there was no more apparent snag to the global completion of the new 'mission'.

Sarah chuckled. "You should have done that earlier. I hope he or she won't be overbooked. What do you think the other girls will do?"

"Oh!" Cameron went straight to the kitchen phone and started to dial.

_Internal phone directory. How practical_, Sarah briefly though to herself.

"Cameron?"

"Yes?"

Sarah taped her bare left wrist with her right forefinger, to Cameron's confusion. "I think they're closed for now, don't you think so?"

'…_but leave a message with your name and phone number. We will call you back as soon as we can…_' could be heard from the set.

"Oh! I'll call them right at opening then," Cameron declared, unabashed as she hung the phone up.

"Maybe a few minutes after," Sarah said with a slight grin which didn't fade away when she added, "You should have anticipated that move, dear. I'm surprised that a supposedly advanced AI like yours didn't think about that," she teased Cameron.

But Cameron didn't get it and looked with confusion at a still grinning Sarah. She pondered Sarah's disturbing remark and questioned her tactical abilities without indulgence, like only a cyborg could. She remained quiet for a moment, knowing she wouldn't get further explanation from Sarah who was helping herself a new cup of coffee, but not knowing what to say either. She made a mental note to think about it later and eventually turned and resumed preparing John's breakfast.

"Hey Cameron!" Sarah called.

"Yes, Sarah?"

"Why would you want to go to that prom anyway?"

"I promised Morris. Keeping one's word is important," Cameron said pointedly, now feeling proud to put in practice what she'd learned. She also noticed that Sarah called her 'tin-miss' only once at the beginning of their conversation and not afterwards, for what she felt a pleasant impression. She left Sarah with her mouth gaping open.

**Thursday**** afternoon**

John's last class of the day had finished just some minutes ago. He was sitting outside on a public bench, taking the time to think about various things before Cameron would join him, normally half an hour later.

He was in a rather sullen mood, not only because most of the day had been boring, but mainly because he had just got turned down. At the end of the lesson and just before she left, he had ventured asking Becky Taylor, his schoolmate for chemistry lessons, to the prom. That was a gross mistake of judgment, he easily admitted. She was too sophisticated and shallow for John's taste, so buried in her own useless certitudes. But she was the only girl he knew a bit in the class.

Aloof Becky had listened to him making his request, he'd sensed she knew right from the start what he was up to and made absolutely no effort to ease or help him. Just after he had finished making his request, his face almost as red as his tee shirt, she'd said in loud voice so that everybody in the classroom could hear.

"You want to go to the prom with me?" she scoffed at him, a look of utter disgust on her face, as she emphasized on the last word. Then came the ruthless explanation.

"I don't want to be chased the whole night by that weirdo sister of yours. Besides, Steven Richards already asked me and I accepted," she declared proudly and loudly, more to the attention of the other remaining students who were pretending not to listen than to John.

_Steven __Richards, the quarterback of the football team. What a conventional story_, John thought to himself. He shook his head and chuckled at his own boldness. But that was not what bothered him most with Becky's statement now. He wanted to know what she meant about Cameron.

"Why would you say that about my sister?" he asked with a bit of anger in his voice. He was upset. He tried to pretend that was for their cover's sake, but deep down, he knew the truth was somewhere else.

"Hmpf, that's easy! Whenever we're talking about you and your rude manners, she always gets upset, keeps saying things like you're the smartest guy ever, destined for such great things and that she would be lost without you. Don't tell me it's not weird. This girl is either brain damaged or under your spell. She never realized we drive her crazy all the time. She even once broke the sink in the girls' bathroom with her bare hands. Her hand was bleeding, but she never cared. Instead, she kept looking at us like she wanted to kill us all. That freaked us out," she spat in almost a single breath.

She turned suddenly and left the classroom without a word. There were still many people in the room but it was so quiet a fly wouldn't have traveled across unnoticed.

John wasn't angry at her however, he ended up pitying her. Judgment day would occur in only two years time and he wondered how she would cope with that, assuming she would survive the fateful day.

What Becky had said about his 'sister' hit him. Cameron had never told him about this. She kept saying that her time in school without him was quiet and that she was constantly observing human behavior and learning. Cameron was surprising him more and more, with her demeanor which was sometimes completely different from her cyborg nature. He was so deep in his thoughts he didn't notice the figure approaching him.

"You look so serious. What's going on in that brain of yours?" he heard, snapping him back to reality. He looked up to see Riley.

"Hi John," she continued with a big grin on her face.

"Hi Riley," he replied, returning her only a half-smile.

"Can I sit with you for a second, handsome?" the smile turning more seductive.

"Sure," John replied nonchalantly.

She quickly sat beside him, a bit closer than what John was comfortable with. She wanted him to speak first, but after noticing his sullen mood she broke the silence.

"What's wrong? It looks like you're not happy."

John did not see any reason to hide the reason of his mood. "Just got turned down after asking Becky Taylor for the prom," he said ruefully.

"You… what?" she could barely say before bursting into laugh.

This annoyed John at first to be laughed at like this, but as he realized the funny part of the situation, he shook his head and eventually joined her laugh.

"That was… really funny. I've had a good time imagining you asking a girl to the prom. Why would you want to go to the prom, anyway? You told me you barely know anyone around here? So what's the point?" she asked with curiosity. _There's something wrong_, she thought. _There is no reason he should go there_.

"My sister Cameron will go and Mom asked me…"

"What?" she said again, ever so too bluntly but to her credit, it totally caught her by surprise. Being told that the soulless, most deadly machine ever could go to the prom without being prepared could be very disturbing. She looked over at John, shock was written on her face. She realized it and forced herself to relent. "Hum, I mean… I thought, you told me earlier this kind of stuff's not exactly your sister's cup of tea, is it?"

Riley's reaction surprised John and made him suspicious. He wasn't going to ask her about it, though, that would probably make her suspicious. So he just said.

"Yeah, you're right, but she's got asked for and accepted, I think in order to appear less of a freak and maybe fit in better," he lied. "She seems to be more open than me…" he frowned, and then added "She is better with people lately." He chuckled at this last statement. "She made it a point of honor to keep her promise. She's got principles," he concluded with some sense of irony.

"So you're going too? Will you keep an eye on her?" she asked, grinning and trying to distract him from the slight mistake she'd previously made. John may not be General Connor yet, the man to whom anything escapes, but he already was showing much insight.

"God, no!" John said, after he stopped guffawing.

"Okay. She's going out on her own and you're looking for a date too?" Riley had understood right from the beginning she could take deep advantage of the situation. Before he could say anything about herself, she added, "John, look. Your search has ended, I'll go with you. If you want me, I can be your date for the prom. Check that your sister is all right and then we could spend a little more time to get to know each other. I want to get to know you better." She proposed, with an expression on her face that literally says _I can get you out of that mess, just grab the opportunity_.

John, who already wanted to spend time with her but didn't dare ask because he knew her only for a few days, finally accepted. _She's really friendly. She wants to date me after only a couple of days. Well, I should go for it_.

"Yeah, why not? You're saving me. But isn't it a bit too soon for us to get serious?"

"What do you think John? You know, I like you very much. You do want to see me more, don't you?" she said flirtatiously.

"You've made your point. All right then. We'll go together," John finally decided.

Riley smiled broadly. "Thank you John. It'll be fun, I promise. Oh, I have to go now, See ya later". She gave him a quick peck on his cheek and she was gone before he could add anything, leaving him sitting on the bench with a stunned look on his face.

Riley was on her way back home. She was inwardly very pleased with herself, she had arrived at the perfect time. _No biggie. This mission is going to be a piece of cake_. She took her cell and called Jesse.

"Yeah?"

"Hi Jesse, I've got a date with John to go to the Prom in two weeks. I'm making progress with John, but Cameron will be there too," she said with much pride in her voice.

"_It_ will be there too? How can that be possible?" Jesse sounded a little pissed off.

"John won't say, but I don't care. All that counts is that it'll see I'm with John."

"That's good work, love. Just make sure he doesn't change his mind," Jesse said in a concern to secure a mission that was promising to be a quick and big success.

"Don't worry," Riley replied with confidence.

"See ya later."

"See ya."

Unbeknownst to the couple, a figure in the shadows missed but little of what was exchanged between the two. The English class ended sooner today and Cameron was on her way to meet John so they can drive back home together. When she saw him with Riley, she first had a very unpleasant feeling at seeing them talking and laughing together, a feeling she couldn't quite put a name to.

She stopped, hid behind a tree and decided to observe. Thanks to her advanced audio sensors, she heard everything that was said from the moment she saw Riley sit too close to John, up until Riley got up to leave and kiss John on the cheek.

She found herself needing to take a moment before rejoining John. She walked towards him. He looked up and noticed her right away. He spoke up, as soon as she was just a few feet away.

"How was your day, Cam?"

She purposely strode past him, not even bothering to slow down and acknowledge he was even there. Her face was devoid of any expression. "Let's go. Your mother is not going to be happy if we're late."

John quickly gathered his bag and they headed towards the parking lot. He was confused over Cameron seemingly giving him the cold shoulder. _What's eating her?_ He thought to himself as he struggled to catch up.

**Saturday**** afternoon**

After arriving at the mall, in the car, it was decided that the small group would split up. John went to a computer store while Sarah and Cameron went into the clothes store. Both teams were searching proper equipment for an important mission.

As soon as they entered the shop, the woman and the cyborg were accosted by a sales clerk. "Good afternoon, ladies. May I be of some help?" the man asked with a large but false smile.

"No." Cameron stated flatly, all the needed resources to complete the task already being present.

Sarah rolled her eyes. She tried to appear as cheerful as possible when she talked to the man. "Well, hum, my… daughter is looking for a prom dress."

"Ah, very good. I was precisely thinking you have a family resemblance," the man flattered the pair. "This way ladies, please." The man gestured for Sarah and Cameron to proceed deeper in the store up to a spot with racks full of dresses.

"Thank you. I think we can handle it from here. If we need assistance we'll call you," she dismissed the man with a wave. Fully knowing how weird the session with Cameron could turn, she preferred that they were alone.

"Sure," the man said and he unceremoniously left in a huff.

"I didn't imagine there were so many dresses," Cameron marveled. "It'll take us more time than I expected, maybe several days, even if we put aside those which would not fit my size," she said with a very serious tone and motioned towards the closest dress to her to take it.

"Cameron, you're not going to try them all. We're going to pick some of them which I, um, you like. You will try only these and we'll eventually buy the best one," Sarah explained. She sensed that she would lose an immense amount of time providing Cameron with various explanations concerning clothing. She doubted the machine would grab even a tenth of them, but eventually allowed herself to give it a try, her afternoon being devoted to that task.

Cameron tilted her head. "That I… like?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah, what do you prefer in terms of shape, cut or color? Here, color! What color do you prefer?"

"I have no outfit color preferences beside those which could favor my mission," Cameron stated matter-of-factly, but maybe too rapidly.

The very observant Sarah challenged the cyborg. "You sure? Think… or browse that database of yours, whatever."

Cameron frowned in further confusion. For her, having color preferences was as incongruous as the idea of failing her missions. However, she effectively scanned her database for her clothing choices for the past few weeks, putting aside mission-driven ones. She first discovered she'd worn her purple leather jacket far more than statistical laws could tell. She also noticed that in a similar situation, she'd chosen a black dress when visiting Dakara.

"I think I like purple… and black too," Cameron concluded with a slight look of realization on her face.

"Fine, but these are risky color choices. I would rather advice you to pick up a white dress instead, which would be more suitable in the present circumstances." Sarah had always found that these white classic dresses were prettier than any other.

"Suitable? Why wouldn't a black dress be suitable too?" Cameron asked, puzzled by Sarah's apparent contradiction between her advice and the fact she made her reveal her favorite color.

"Well yeah, it would anyway, but I think white would look nicer on you, it would fit your light complexion better," Sarah lied, adjusting her position, in a concern to inflect the machine's choice. She knew this was her own taste and she knew she would have a hard time in a battle of taste against the never-tiring cyborg and its logic.

"Now, what size are you?" Sarah pursued, thinking that the 'color' topic was now over.

"Size two," Cameron specified.

Sarah sighed. She cursed SkyNet for giving the cyborg the perfect age and measurements. If Cameron had been human, she would be exactly like the daughter she would have liked to have. When Cameron behaved like that, it always brought back this thought in Sarah's mind and it was difficult for her to fight it.

"Okay, now go ahead and pick one that corresponds to your preferences."

Cameron nodded and proceeded to complete the task assigned by Sarah. She didn't go to the racks to pick one now and then, look, think, dismiss and try again. She just looked at the racks, motionless, only her eyes were moving very fast. Her tactical systems were running full speed, scanning all the present dresses one by one, applying the search criteria provided by Cameron. However, not in a habit of selecting prom dresses, they added further criteria on their own, such as possibility of gun concealment, ease of movement and so on, without asking Cameron's AI for validation. A short list of matches was finally displayed on her HUD.

Instead of logically selecting the first match of the list, she applied Sarah's advice to select one she _likes_. She found a dress that was the ultimate match. Only twelve point seven seconds after Sarah's prompt, she pointed out the winning dress. "This one."

Sarah sighed again. She was almost sure Cameron wouldn't listen to her advices. The dress was black and looked rather short. _Teenagers. They only do as they please! Wait, no. Not teenager, cyborg_, Sarah gritted her teeth and forced herself to remember the sheer fact. But this damn session was now looking more and more like one with a normal stubborn teenage girl than with an advanced cybernetic machine from the future. She was upset, of course, but found she really wasn't upset that much. This slip-up allowed her to experience a little moment of every day life normalcy, which turned out to be very scarce in the past twenty years. With that thought occupying her mind, she didn't pay much more attention to the dress Cameron was holding.

"Okay, now try this on," she prompted her 'daughter'.

Cameron carefully put the dress down and started to unbutton her shirt.

Sarah's eye widened. "Hey, what are you doing?" She grabbed Cameron's arm to stop her.

Cameron stared at her with a questioning look. "I need to remove my current clothes in order to try this dress out," she stated flatly.

"Not in the middle of the shop so everyone can see. You've got changing rooms, just behind you." Sarah pointed out the place.

"Oh. Thank you for explaining." Unabashed, she gently took the dress back and headed towards the changing room.

Sarah sat and put her face in her hands, elbows lying on her knees. She knew it would be bad, but not that bad. She tried to calm down. However, the final blow was yet to be given. Just a few minutes later, Cameron got out.

Sarah's jaw fell to the ground. Cameron was wearing a devilishly decadent Soiree Gothic dress in lace-covered black vinyl, cap sleeve style open chest, tiered skirt with tulle layered detailing. And lace-up ribbon detail at high neck and sides to complete the picture.

"You… you don't think you're going to the prom dressed like that, do you?" Sarah just could say in a voice now barely restraining her anger. She was flabbergasted.

"Why not? This dress passed all the selection criteria," Cameron explained, "…and I like it," she added, smiling ever so slightly at that last statement. From her point of view, the tryout session was going pretty well, in fact better than she expected. So she didn't understand Sarah's reaction, especially as she demonstrated she was able to apply most of her advices.

"But it's too… too… And it's too…" was only what Sarah could argue. There was so much to argue she didn't know where to start.

Cameron frowned. "Too what?"

"Too short, too sexy, too weird. In a word, inappropriate." Sarah finally shouted. "You can't take this one. Pick another one." That was Cameron's last chance.

"Why would I? I think this is appropriate to wear a dress that is on sale in a specialized shop. I don't understand."

Sarah realized she wouldn't be able to dissuade Cameron from keeping the dress she'd chosen. She closed her eyes and deeply breathed in, trying to cool off and ponder her next move when Cameron spoke again.

"I'll need a push-up bra too," she required.

Sarah exploded with the most offended look on her face. "Why would you need a push-up bra?"

Cameron started to explain "My breasts are not very big. I learned that men like them big, especially Jo…"

"Stop it!" Sarah brutally cut her off. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. "I don't want to hear that! How can you…" Sarah was about to scold the teenage girl for having talked dirty but remebered who she was talking to. She gave up trying to convince her. She only had one choice left in front of such stubbornness and boldness. She gazed Cameron menacingly, pointing at her. "You know what? I've had enough! I forbid you to take this one and that's final."

With that, she turned and left the shop, dumping Cameron on the spot. She burst past a saleswoman, mumbling something like 'stubborn metal bitch'. The saleswoman shook her head in lack of understanding and went to see Cameron.

"Is everything alright, miss?" she asked in a tone showing more annoyance than concern.

Cameron looked down to her dress. "I tried it on with my moth-"

"Oh," the women cut her with a look of disgust on her face. "How could you? Please give back the dress and leave." She ordered and then turned to leave. _Perverted people_, she thought.

"-er's assistance," Cameron pointlessly completed.

She was now alone in the shop, quite unsure why. She thought that the human spirit was sometimes extremely disconcerting. The entity called God that created them must not be so perfect, considering the major design flaw in human brain He allowed Himself to introduce. This was one of these moments she wondered if trying to become human was really a good idea. She dismissed immediately this idea as she thought about John.

She noticed the large mirror beside her and admired her reflection for a little moment. She smiled ruefully and said aloud "Bummer! It was a tight dress," before heading towards the changing room.

Sarah reached the SUV and left the mall. Even if she was pissed off by the terminator, she considered that John would be safer with Cameron than with her at the moment. _Bah_, she thought to herself. _She may have preferences, but she definitely has bad taste_. Yet, that was already beyond what she believed the cyborg was able to express at the start of this day.

# # #

Cameron was just leaving the shop under the saleswoman heavy reprobation stare when her cell rang. It was John. After he identified himself, he asked: "What happened? I saw Mom get out of the mall, visibly upset. Is something wrong?"

"No, but the tryout session is unsuccessful. We couldn't purchase a dress," Cameron said in a tone John would have sworn was rueful.

Relieved that nothing more serious had happened, he asked "Why?"

"Your mother wouldn't validate my choice."

John chuckled.

Cameron frowned. "What's so funny?" she inquired. "I failed completing task #2 of my preparation list, so I'm currently unable to proceed and therefore keep my promise."

_So you __learned my lesson, that's good_.

"Let's say I was expecting some kind of taste mismatch," John said, still chuckling at what he knew was an understatement but he also knew he had to humor her too.

John thought for a moment and then spoke up. "Cameron, I still have some stuff to buy. Let's meet at the mall's north entrance in let's say half an hour, no, forty five minutes and we'll get back home by taxi, Okay?"

"Okay. Be careful John."

She closed her cell and headed towards the north entrance without any delay and distraction and remained there, unmoving, until John arrived. Even the guard at the gate couldn't keep up. When John finally arrived, he was carrying a lot of bags.

"You're four minutes and thirty six seconds late." Cameron stated.

"Come on, Cam, that's not the end of the world, is it?" he replied a bit annoyed, knowing how he spent the time in question.

"That is correct, J-Day will only happen in…"

"Cam!" he cut her off, "it's just an expression. It means it's not important."

She merely nodded and recorded it in her database, following the 238 others she'd learned since she arrived.

"What is it in these bags?" she inquired.

"You're being the inquisitive cyborg, Cam! This is a gift for someone who means a lot to me," he said with a lopsided grin.

Cameron felt doubly unpleased by John's statement. First, she didn't like him to refer to herself as the 'cyborg', even if she knew it was friendly in John's mouth, unlike Sarah and Derek's. Second, there was a 96.4% chance he'd bought something for Riley, the girl he dated for the prom. She didn't fail to notice that the name on one of the bags was the one of the shops she was in less than one hour ago.

Cameron remained silent on their way back to the house, while John kept this irritating grin on his face for almost all of the time it took to get back home.

**Later that night**

Cameron was back from her first night duty and took her usual place in front of the living room window. Her stillness was contrasting with the turmoil in her mind. The mid term mission she'd titled "Prom" in her database wasn't turning good. Of course, John's life didn't depend on its successful outcome, and that pleased her, but she felt she had to succeed. John showed some signs of concern to the fact she could and she surprisingly found herself compelled to. But obviously, she was lacking background and feared she could fail if she couldn't seek external help.

Her advanced audio sensors registered that John was still up, working at his laptop. She'd recorded no threat during her patrol, so she decided to break her safekeeping duty and go to speak with John.

John was almost finished browsing the net for some research when he heard someone softly knock at the door.

No need to ask who it was. _At last_, he thought. "Come in, Cam."

Cameron opened the door, entered the room and closed the door behind her all in very soft and measured moves.

"Hello John, may I speak with you?" Cameron sheepishly asked.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?" he prompted her. Though he perfectly knew what she wanted to talk about, he wanted her to take the initiative.

Cameron took a moment to choose her words.

"John, you taught me I had to keep my promise. But I failed to find a dress this afternoon and I doubt your mother will help me again," Cameron admitted, looking down to the ground.

"Yeah, I guess so," he acknowledged.

"I doubt anyone will now. I fear I might choose something inappropriate on my own. John, what can I do now?" she asked John, now looking at him with a hint of despair in her eyes.

_Wow, this whole story becomes serious for her_. John was measuring the consequences of the lesson he taught Cameron some days ago. She was willing to comply – a nice quality – but was apparently facing insuperable difficulties to complete her preparation. Considering the dreadful consequences of a failure, he felt reassured. _I think I did the right thing_.

John didn't say anything. Instead, he motioned towards his closet from which he retrieved a bag with two boxes in it.

Cameron immediately recognized the bags he was carrying when they had left the mall. She tilted her head and looked at him, quizzically.

John put the larger box onto the table across the laptop and opened it. Inside, there was a long dress. He took it out of the box with care and spread it on his bed. It was made of black silk with some lace trim of a dark blood red color. It was traditional, with a touch of Gothic flare.

"What is this?" Cameron asked blankly, as she had concluded from her previous analysis that she wasn't concerned by the article. However, she was inwardly confused when her systems informed her that the dress wasn't fitting Riley's size.

"Your shape recognition system is malfunctioning? That's annoying, in deed," John teased her, amused. Then on a more serious tone "This is a dress. This is your prom dress, Cameron," stressing on the word 'your'. "I bought it for you this afternoon."

Cameron's eyes widened in utter surprise. "You bought… a dress… for me?" she could only stammer. When she could finally register the fact as being the truth, she remembered what John said in the mall about the boxes. _This is a gift for someone who means a lot to me_. She was now standing in front of him, completely paralyzed, mouth gaping, still unable to measure what all that really meant to her.

She finally opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly a warning from her tactical systems appeared on her HUD. As she read it, John saw her initial surprise look rapidly turn into confusion. A battle was raging in her mind.

"Cam, what's wrong?" John asked with concern.

"John, this dress is beautiful, but it is not adequate in case of threat," Cameron said, visibly torn between happiness and annoyance.

John noticed and decided to reassure her. "C'mon Cam, no biggie, I dream, um, I would like to see you in that dress." he said. He had to admit that he was curious to see the most deadly machine in the world in a cute dress.

Confused by this unexpected act of kindness and generosity from John and remembering she wasn't his date, Cameron replied "Why would you? I thought the dress was meant to please my date. I'm to go with Morris, not with you. I shouldn't accept it." She looked down at the ground again as she finished.

"Why?" John was beginning to realize that Cameron wasn't looking disappointed, but... worried.

"I should go with you. It would be easier for me to protect you." _I can't let anything happen to you_, she thought. She tried to keep a blank look by saying it, but her eyes betrayed her thoughts.

John realized then what Cameron wasn't telling him. What was her deepest concern. _She wants to be with me, not just protecting me_. He took the necessary time to respond neatly to the untold request without jeopardizing his own date. "Ease up Cam. Nothing's gonna happen. And enjoy the night. I'm sure you'll look fantastic in that dress. I mean, please at least let me have the chance to see how beautiful you will look in it. And I promise I will save a dance for you."

He paused.

"Go in the bathroom and try it on, please," he prompted her, as he reached to offer the dress.

Cameron weighted the consequences of accepting the dress and going to the prom without John. She concluded the extra risks to protect John, while she was with Morris, would be minimal and John would be pleased if she came to the dance wearing the dress he had chosen for her.

She didn't reply. As an act of acceptance, she took the dress very carefully, as if she was entrusted with a treasure. To tell the truth, it was actually a treasure for her. "Thank you John. No one has ever given me a gift before," she said, her eyes never leaving the dress but John could still see they were sparkling.

_There must be life behind these eyes_.

"Well, someone would have, sooner or later," he modestly said.

"I wouldn't have accepted from anybody else", she replied, after what she stood up and moved towards the bathroom. She closed the door behind her. She sat on the edge of the bathtub and a few minutes passed before she even dared starting dressing. She might have an advanced CPU, but she had so much to process.

On the other side of the door, John's brain was working full speed too. Since the first time he had known her, he had noticed how much Cameron's behavior had changed. She was still willing to learn, but it seemed to him she was lately using more of her 'brain' than her 'CPU', in other words, making more use of her knowledge than her logic. He may have known she had an advanced learning CPU, she was surprising him more and more about how much and how fast she could learn.

But currently, he was wondering if he'd succeeded where his mother miserably failed.

As Cameron shyly returned in John's room, dressed up, bare foot and looking down, he immediately got his answer. The dress was perfectly matching Cameron's exquisite curves. His mouth fell open as his eyes fell upon her perfect form, he never saw anything so beautiful in his entire life. How could SkyNet, a soulless evil machine, create something so beautiful? He realized he must have gazed greedily at her for way too long when Cameron said.

"John, are you alright?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Cameron, you're… you're beautiful," was all he could say at the moment, he was troubled.

Cameron's worry instantly faded and she smiled shyly. "Thank you John."

"Hey wait," he suddenly said, and he reached to the box again took the gloves and gave them to her. "Put them on." As she proceeded, he reached for the smaller box, took something out of it, placed himself in front of her and squat.

"Gimme your right foot please."

She obliged. He took her foot and gently put the high heel shoe on her foot. Once again, the article he'd chosen did match perfectly Cameron's slender shape. He did the same with the other foot then stood up and stepped back a bit in order to admire the result.

"It's wonderful, you're wonderful, Cam. You will outshine the other girls, no question," he complimented her.

This time, she greeted him with a broad smile.

"Thank you John" she said again with more confidence, feeling so proud being compared to real human girls to her advantage. John lately scarcely did so, reminding her of her true nature instead and that had strengthened her belief she was less than a human.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, worried about how much she liked the present.

She admired herself in the mirror of the closet and gracefully turned round, which surprised John again. She smiled at him and answered "It's tight." He smiled back.

The look on John's face was kind, but Cameron discerned something more. She had seen this look on his face only once before, when she'd rebooted after deactivating the ARTIE system. She'd told him then she'd seen everything, including the look he'd given her.

Later that night, in the darkness of their respective rooms, the two of them were still not sleeping.

That was quite normal for the cyborg who was, as usual, standing guard in front of the window, but at the moment, she was paying little attention to the outside. Instead, she looked over at the two boxes carefully and neatly put away. '_This is a gift for someone who means a lot to me'._ She realized what John had told her when they left the mall. He was not only plainly considering her as a person, but he also valued her to the point of making her a special gift. She was still unsure if she could feel happiness, but she knew for sure that it was the best day in her entire life. In the pale moonlight, she formed a slight smile of satisfaction, as she shifted her gaze back to the window.

However, that was more unusual for John. He was so puzzled he couldn't sleep. He was thinking about Cameron's strange behavior, about these emotions she never showed before, these so humanly real things she wanted to do. He was looking at her in a new light. Still, he was happy to go to the prom with Riley and perhaps they could have some sort of relationship, but he no longer wanted to push Cameron away. He wanted to help her in her development instead.

END OF CHAPTER


	3. Chapter 3: On Her Way

**The Prom**

**Author: Nyrki**

**Chapter 3: ****On Her Way**

Before we explore further Cameron's motives and actions for the prom, I would like to thank my reviewers: olischulu, PSG1JOHN, XxDeathStarxX, The1Russter, Burnout'83, Velhu, meanoldmoe, TCandBTVSluver, Lsquare, supernatural94 and CloudyShadows, without forgetting my dearest friend Kara. I can't express how much joy your reviews provide me.

After this chapter, Cameron will be halfway through her incredible experience. I think I will let everybody spend good and relaxing holidays and I'll be posting the next chapters early next year.

* * *

Recap: Cameron promised to go to the prom with Morris. After John taught her why she must keep her promise, she threw herself 'heart and soul' into the project, maybe a little more than what the task required, showing John some emotion when he offered her the prom dress she couldn't get with Sarah's help.

**

* * *

Wednesday****, morning break**

Cameron reached and opened her locker, fetching the still useless books for her next class. When she closed the locker's door, Morris was just standing there. Cameron didn't cringe a bit, she just showed her usual blank face she always presented to anyone but John.

Morris was a bit disappointed he failed to surprise her.

"Wow, Cameron. You really have nerves of steel," he said with a look of admiration.

She looked over at him negligently. "More than you can imagine," she said with a slight grin. "What do you want?" she asked with a piercing stare.

The girl was petite and slender, but she never failed to intimidate him with her strange behavior and uncommunicative character. Unlike the other girls at school, she never boasted about her exquisite beauty, this is what pleased Morris the most about her. He gathered his courage like every time he had something important to tell her.

"Hum, Cameron, is it still okay for us to go to the prom? I didn't have the chance to run into you recently," Morris asked, as he didn't see her that much lately and she wasn't known to pay much attention when it came to extra-school activities.

She called her infiltration protocols to appear as cheerful as the circumstances required it. "Yes, it is. I promised."

"Okay. Then I'll pick you up home at 7 pm" he confirmed, glad she both remembered and confirmed.

"Thank you Morris. 7 pm will be just fine," she acknowledged with a larger smile than usual.

_Wow, she's sweet on me. That's good_, Morris thought. _Maybe I can make a move at the prom_. He was already imagining himself feeling Cameron up during a hot dance.

The bell rang, snapping brutally Morris back to a far less pleasant reality. "Oh God, better go or Mr. Mitchell's gonna kill me! See you Cameron." He quickly left, waving a hand at her.

Cameron's blank face instantly came back as soon as Morris was out of sight and she urged not to be late to her next class too.

**Wednesday, ****after class**

John and Cameron were on their way back home from school. The atmosphere was more relaxed than usual, they'd discussed about various subjects about their respective day. Cameron reported her encounter with Morris during the morning break.

"I confirmed Morris he could pick me up at 7pm on Friday," Cameron declared. "Do you think I can ask him if you can come with us?" she asked in order to always keep an eye on John, in a constant concern for his safety.

John chuckled in anticipation about Morris' reaction to this request. However, his smile soon faded as he realized he had to tell Cameron who was his own date for the prom. He'd always procrastinated, but now he eventually had to. He thought that he should have told her sooner, but he was somewhat afraid of her reaction.

"Ah, alright then." John hesitated once more. _Come on, John_. "Cam, um, you have to know I'll go with somebody too," he tentatively announced and looked over Cameron to sound out her reaction.

Cameron knew this information from long ago, but she decided not to tell him. John didn't like it when she was intrusive.

"Who is it?" she inquired, a little more harshly than necessary.

"Riley Dawson," John answered apprehensively.

Cameron couldn't quite hide some signs of annoyance to John's announcement. She frowned slightly but she said nothing and turned to look through the window.

_Oh__ no! I don't like it when you bottle things up like this. Please Cam, say something, even that you don't like it._

Cameron replayed on her HUD an excerpt of John's conversation with Riley she'd recorded some days ago. '_If you want me, I can be your date for the prom_'. So she knew Riley pushed him to accept instead he voluntarily asked her. There was something strange in this behavior. Her recent researches on the Internet have informed her it was the done thing that the boy invited the girl and not the contrary, otherwise the girl could suffer from a bad reputation. From her experience at school, she learned that girls always deeply care about their reputation. For some strange reason, Riley seemed not to care.

After a long moment, she turned back to John said. "John, I don't think it is a good idea."

John was pleased that Cameron eventually expressed her opinion, even if they disagreed. He tried to minimize the situation. "Relax Cam, she's just a schoolmate, the only girl who actually talks to me," John offered. He didn't want to confess he'd been turned down by Becky Taylor before.

"This is precisely why it is suspicious." Cameron carefully chose her next words and tried not to be too direct before a touchy John, but she had to warn him about potential threats. "You may endanger her life too, if you keep meeting with her," she added.

John felt a pang of anger. "You sound just like Mom," he started. "Why can't I–" He broke off at the realization it was part of Cameron's mission to be suspicious, as some threats could be twisty. On the other hand, he wanted to avoid Cameron's constant warnings, a cyborg never tires, so he decided it was preferable to try to reassure her. "Sorry Cam. Look, I know what the stakes are, I won't say anything. It's just a date for the prom, nothing more."

Not knowing how to argue further, Cameron decided not to push. She nodded to John but felt neither reassured nor convinced by his explanation. Riley was a threat, even if unconsciously. She also doubted that John wouldn't attempt to continue his relationship with her. It was a big problem for her and John wasn't helping.

**Thursday afternoon, ****3:00 pm**

John's school day was finished, unlike Cameron's. Sarah's instructions in this case were to wait for Cameron in the safest place as possible - inside the school premises - before going back home with her.

But he wanted to talk with Riley and needed some privacy with her. Moreover, Cameron's recent displays of emotion scared him a bit. He didn't know exactly how she would react if she was to see him in company of another girl. Cameron was stuck in class for two more hours, so he'd left a message on Riley's cell to meet up at the same place as they usually did.

Riley arrived a few minutes late. Not that she was actually late, but she took the necessary time beforehand to check that the machine wasn't lurking around.

"Hi John." She greeted him with a broad smile, leaning a bit too much over him. It was a hot day and she was wearing a tight shirt which she'd unbuttoned one button too many, revealing most of her cleavage and some of her red lace bra. _I have to strike while the iron is hot_, she thought with some sense of irony.

Taken by surprise with the very embarrassing view, John swallowed hard.

"Hi um, Riley" he stuttered, turning several shades of red.

"Are you all right?" she inquired, as if she didn't know the reason of John's awkwardness.

"Yeah. It's just a bit too hot out here." he tried to justify himself, without conviction.

Riley had rapidly learned some of John's weak points and she was glad she had the assets to exploit them. Jesse advised her to make sure the mission succeeded, so she made the first move.

"So John, are you ready for tomorrow?"

John had rented his tuxedo and bought Riley's corsage already, but he couldn't help thinking about Cameron's dress tryout episode when it came to the prom. He wouldn't tell Riley however. "Yeah, I had some shopping to do, but it all went right."

"I'm sure you'll be handsome. I've prepared something special for you as well. We'll be the couple of year."

John remembered his conversation with Cameron from the day before and he had to admit she was partly right about Riley. However, he really wanted to go with Riley, so he tried to adapt his speech. "I hope we won't. Wait, I don't say that because of you or me, it's just… I don't like to draw attention on me, my mom always taught me to stay low," he replied solemnly.

Riley's strategy was to get him out of his current way of thinking and as a consequence, away from Cameron's influence.

"Is that why you didn't want to go at first? It seemed to me you were rather reluctant, as if it was such a chore to accompany your… sister."

John noticed the slight hesitation. He thought there was something a bit weird about how Riley referred to his 'sister' but couldn't quite put a finger on it. "No, it's not. But this is the kind of… event I'm not too fond of."

"Why is that John? You're a teenager, adults always say it's the best period of our life. No worry, just fun… and love. You have to enjoy it. We have to," Riley pleaded, getting a bit frustrated with John's attitude.

"I don't know, Riley. It's just that I can't afford…"

"What do you mean you can't afford? Just live your life!" she snapped. "Who knows how you're gonna be in twenty years? Do you?" She knew this would help him change his mind, knowing exactly what he would think.

_Unfortunately, I do_, he thought. _You don't know what the future will bring, but I do. It's dreadful_. Pushed by Riley's clever arguments, he slowly came to the conclusion that having good time when he still can was not a bad idea. After J-Day, occasions to party would probably be very scarce.

A sad future his robotic protector was unintentionally but constantly reminding him of.

Looking down, very thoughtfully, he finally gave in. "Yeah… Yeah, you're right after all." Then he looked at her, smiling. "Let's have fun together."

"Marvelous," Riley let out, satisfied. _And maybe more_, she thought. _But as long as you forget about the machine, I'll be okay_. She smiled at him in return.

**D-Day, ****Friday 5:00pm**

The dress was lying on the bed, ready to be worn. Cameron gazed at it for a long moment, figuring it would put the finishing touches to her preparation. Before pulling it on, she recalled all the time she spent discussing with other girls at school and at the library at night making searches, just to make sure to do the right thing. It helped her breaking the ice with the girl who replaced Eric some time ago.

She remembered the early steps she'd completed sooner in the afternoon.

She'd taken a shower first right after lunchtime. She didn't really need it, just washing her hair, but she'd felt she had to do it. She wanted to follow all the rituals of making herself look the best for the prom and to her surprise, she felt a bit excited about it. She initially put it on the fact that it was the first time she was doing it, but found out afterwards that there had been numerous things in the past she had done for the first time and did not feel quite excited at.

She washed her hair three times with that Jojoba shampoo John had often commented on how nice her hair smelled when she used it. She had always felt compelled to reiterate actions for which she would earn a compliment from John.

She remained under the shower longer than necessary. She normally didn't like water for obvious reasons. She couldn't swim, so stretches of water could only be an obstacle to her missions. More important, the combination of water and electricity could deactivate her. But at the present moment, feeling the hot water flow on her naked body did bring her a pleasant sensation and she closed her eyes. She chose not to deactivate her body sensors like she usually did and found all these sensations... interesting.

Thanks to a last minute cancellation due to an inexplicable car breakdown, Cameron could finally get a late appointment with the hair stylist. She had her hair done in a bun, a little like when they had gone to meet with the father and son from Dakara. It had been a long task and she didn't feel very comfortable, mainly because she didn't have John in sight, but also because she had never been in such a situation before. The stylist tried to be friendly and talkative, complimenting her with her hair. "I've seldom seen so perfect hair. Do you use a special treatment?" he asked, really impressed by Cameron's generous mane. A very old memory flashed in her head. _'Your hair. It's so pretty. We worked very hard on the hair to get it right'_. She looked down, feeling remorseful. "No," she finally replied flatly. The stylist was surprised that the girl didn't boast about the quality of her hair.

She remained silent and still the rest of the time her hairdressing required, almost sulking. The stylist was surprised by the fact her head never moved even when he pulled on the hair. He thought that she must have a strong neck, but the neck was slender like the rest of her body.

When she'd returned home, she had only scanned the house to verify that John was okay before barging through the living room and up the stairs towards her room, ignoring Derek's contemptuous chuckle.

Cameron looked at the dress once again. It was the very first item she actually owned, besides weaponry and related stuff necessary to complete her missions. Of course she had everyday clothes, but she was usually buying them by herself and the dress for Dakara had been rented by Sarah. Owning something 'normal' made her feel more like a person. _People have belongings_.

Cameron decided it was time to get dressed. She removed all of her current clothes and put them in the laundry basket. She couldn't help but looking at her naked body in the mirror. She noticed John wasn't insensitive to her curves. _But are these really my curves?_ The memory of Allison Young was starting to pay its toll on Cameron as her humanity was slowly growing.

She put on fresh underwear – among which a push-up bra she purchased on her own – and carefully slipped the dress on. She pulled up the zipper with ease.

As she adjusted the dress, she recalled about how she got her very first belonging. It was John's gift. John used to push her away, but now he seemed to relent, showing patience with her, even some kindness. She felt valued again. It was a pleasant sensation and she realized that he pushing her away had been a constant source of discomfort, however with little disturbance on her protection mission, as long as he didn't become too reckless. Now she was worrying he might because of this girl Riley. She thought she would have to do something about this issue eventually.

She started to put on her make-up. She'd always had a lot of beauty products and made great use of them, but this time she sensed there was something more than just looking good, so she took extra care. She applied shades of purple eye shadow so as to bring out the flecks of yellow in her brown eyes and then curled her lashes and applied several layers of volumizing mascara to make her eyes stand out even more.

She wondered if John's new behavior towards her was in relation with her desire to accomplish all these very human actions the best she can.

She applied some berry-hue blush. Her gestures with the brush were quick and accurate. She completed her make-up by applying deep red glossy lipstick.

John's new behavior made her wonder about his feelings for her. Before she reverted due to the car bomb, John had displayed very subtle signs of appreciation towards her she never failed to notice. It never went farther, however. It even disappeared after his birthday and it was easy to understand why. She looked down, feeling ashamed.

She put her high heel shoes on.

However, John recently started to show some signs of appreciation again. She wondered if there was a possibility for more. After all, he'd taken a huge risk by getting her back. Not knowing exactly why though, she confusedly decided that it couldn't be just because he trusted her.

She put on the right amount of perfume from a bottle she'd specifically purchased for the occasion, to Sarah's great disapproval. Chanel no. 5. Cameron had always loved numbers. She eventually completed her preparation by putting the black gloves on and then golden earrings and bracelets.

There might be more, but John had always seemed to hesitate when it came to her. She knew it was because she was a machine. He was unsure she was able to feel, so what about love? She'd told him once she could feel more than he thought, but Cameron had to admit she didn't know if she was able to love him, at least the way he would like her to. She didn't feel ready.

But she finally was, at least concerning her preparation. She admired herself in the mirror of her closet. Being a machine, she was naturally meticulous, but with the extra attention she took, her preparation was perfect. She felt that sensation of pride again. So dressed up, she was no longer the deadly cyborg that was sent on dangerous missions, maybe just a tool for some people. No, she now felt like a real person about take part in a public event and truly mix with humans. She felt more complete.

She scanned her appearance from head to toe and noticed something. Thanks to the push-up bra, her breasts effectively appeared to be slightly bigger. She remembered the two girls' nasty comments and that Allison Young, the human model she had been built at the image of, had average breasts. Because John was looking at Riley's bust and not hers, she inferred that her breasts were too small to John's taste, hence probably one of the reasons why he wouldn't get closer. She was pleased with the slight improvement but wondered if it would be enough for John to notice. She thought he surely would if they really were bigger but unfortunately, there was nothing more she could do about it.

She sat down and was surprised when she consulted her internal clock. It was 6:42pm already. She'd spent over one hour and a half to get prepared. By her standards, the whole operation should have taken less than twenty minutes. But even for a cyborg, she'd been very thorough. She thought she didn't need to make her best endeavors to get so perfect to keep her promise but felt compelled to. _So why did I do all that?_ She realized she did it not for Morris, but for John, even if she knew she wasn't his date. All she wanted was to please John. _I think I love him,_ she concluded._ People make unnecessary efforts to please the persons they love. Maybe one day, I'll be his date_.

6:49pm. Morris will arrive in 11 minutes. She'd noticed earlier that John had finished preparing himself and had been discussing things with Sarah and Derek in the living room for exactly 47 minutes and 23 seconds, he was probably waiting for her.

Thanks to her advanced audio sensors, she heard a car approaching the house. She promptly went to her window and saw a car slowly entering the yard. She relented and went back to her seat when she recognized Morris. There was no threat to John.

It was 6:51pm. _Already?_ She thought._ Why can't humans respect correct timing? That's not exactly so hard, is it?_

After a moment, she heard Sarah calling her name from the living room. "Cameron, Morris is there. We're waiting for you."

"I'm coming," she cried. She stood up, smoothed her dress, let out a sigh and proceeded to go downstairs to meet Morris.

**D-Day, Friday ****around 6:00pm**

John got out of his room and went down the stairs into the living room. He sat on the couch aside Derek and across Sarah who widely grinned at the vision of her son in a tuxedo. She thought he was a fine figure of a man, prefiguring General Connor she would have hoped to live long enough to see.

Seeing his mother's silent but permanent stare on him with a melancholic expression on her face, John said "What?"

"Huh, nothing" she replied. "It's just that you're very elegant and handsome. You should dress up like this more often in the future," she said, not bothering to hide the mother's pride in her voice.

Derek chimed in. "He will."

Sarah and John both turned and looked at him in surprise.

"Well, General Connor was- will wear his ceremonial uniform on some occasions. When I saw you dressed like this, I almost stood up to salute you," Derek explained.

The three of them burst out laughing.

Derek spoke anew. "So you're going to the prom tonight? Who's your date? I'm surprised you could find a girl, you're so grumpy," he said laughing again.

"Very funny, Derek," John replied with darts in his eyes. "Her name is Riley Dawson. I met her two weeks ago when she arrived…"

"Two weeks?" Sarah interrupted him. "Isn't that a bit too short to date her?" she asked.

John didn't want to confess the adults that it was actually her who dated him. Sarah would inevitably find it suspicious. He wanted to keep is teenager pride too.

"We've been talking a bit. She told me she lost both of her parents in a car accident and she's now living with her foster family. She's new in town, in school, and has nobody to talk to. I don't either, so that makes a good reason for us to meet," John explained.

Even so, Sarah was a bit suspicious while Derek was satisfied to hear that. He was glad this girl could distract him from being too close to the machine. _That's good_. John needed to stay focus and if this new relationship could be controlled, everything would be perfect. Keep the machine's role as a mere protector, nothing more. _Anyway, there can't be anything more__, right?_ he reassured himself.

"Unknown origins, went right towards you, I don't like it. We have to investigate her," Sarah said seriously.

"Mom! You're getting too paranoid. It's just a girl," John snapped, annoyed that his mother doubted his ability to make female friends and also that she was entering a private area.

"John, don't you think it's strange?" Sarah argued.

"No, it isn't. Is my meeting and dating a girl something so hard to believe? Look, the last time a pretty girl walked up to me then…" His voice trailed off and he looked down at the realization that the last girl who actually did so was Cameron. However, he couldn't stifle a chuckle at the memory. If Cameron had been human, it would have been a magic encounter.

Sarah and Derek were both grinning.

"Okay, bad example. But you see what I mean. Anyway, I have the right to date whoever I want, right?" he stated with a defying stare at his mother, now short of arguments.

"I think the kid's right, Sarah. You can't suspect everybody," Derek offered.

Sarah relented. "Okay John. We don't have the time to make a full inquiry within an hour, anyway."

"Mom!" he said, rolling his eyes. This was the kind a discussion with his mother which made him doubt he could become the respected General Connor. He was determined to make it.

"Is the SUV ready?" he inquired.

"You won't need it, John. I rented a limo for Cameron, you and your respective dates. John, it'll allow Cameron to ensure your safety, but I also wanted you to fully enjoy your prom evening, just like a normal boy. I thought it was a great occasion to offer you a normal day. They are so scarce, I don't feel like denying this one to you." The more she spoke and the more her voice was trembling with emotion. When she finished, a tear went down her cheek. She felt ashamed to display her emotions, in particular in front of Derek, but sometimes the circumstances are not favorable.

John felt all his anger instantly fly away. All he could see now was a loving mother who wanted to give him the best gift she could. He rushed to her and hugged her so tight she could barely breathe.

"Oh thank you Mom. Thank you so much. You don't know how much that means to me," he whispered in her ear.

_Oh yes, I do__. Believe me._

After a moment, she broke the embrace and put a soft kiss on his forehead. "Enjoy every moment of it."

"I will."

"Don't forget to take the SUV's spare key though. Derek and I will leave it at the prom later so you can safely return, just in case something happens," she added, in a constant concern for his safety. They discussed about random topics afterwards until John began to worry.

"What is Cameron doing?" he wondered.

"She's locked up in her room since she's returned from the hairdresser," Sarah indicated.

"Maybe she's making a complete overhaul?" Derek sarcastically said. "Perhaps she needs extra oil to avoid too much grating. It's summer time, I would suggest 5W30."

John turned to him and glared at him.

_Uh oh. We're not there yet. This Riley __girl will have to be very persuasive_.

"I'm going to see how she's doing," John said. Just as he stood up, the door bell rang. Derek reached his gun, but John gestured him to put it away.

"It's okay. That must be Morris."

"All right, but pay attention," Derek advised him.

Sarah went to the door. "Who is it?"

"Hello, Mrs. Baum. This is Morris. I'm coming to pick Cameron up."

Sarah opened the door and smiled. "Hello Morris, please come in. Cameron will be ready in a short moment. You know how girls are…" Sarah cheerfully prompted Morris to enter and sit on the couch.

"Thank you, Mrs. Baum. I'll wait."

"Cameron, Morris is there. We're waiting for you," Sarah called aloud. _What is she doing? Now if even cyborgs take as much time as human girls to get prepared…_

"I'm coming," came the swift reply from upstairs.

7:00pm sharp. Cameron got out of her room and went down the stairs. Everybody looked at her as she gracefully made her way down the staircase.

John had already seen her in her prom dress, but not with her hair done and makeup. The vision he had was wonderful. Cameron was naturally pretty, but he thought she was presently looking like a princess. He even noticed that her bust was beautifully enhanced, an act of coquetry he didn't think she was capable of. He intensely admired her, while smiling warmly.

Morris chuckled in awe. Cameron was gorgeous in her dress. She looked so different than at school. He couldn't believe his luck. He would go to the prom with the prettiest girl in school, he was sure of that. Then he noticed how her 'brother' was looking at her, which he found weird. But he rapidly dismissed this thought, he was too happy.

Sarah gasped in surprise. John had told her he'd chosen Cameron's dress himself without even having her trying it out, so she was expecting something bad. She was doubly surprised. At first because the dress was very elegant, classic and at the same time with the Gothic touch Cameron was apparently appreciating. He managed to reconcile classic look with Cameron's likings. She was proud of John's taste. And then because John could choose a perfectly matching dress, showing that he perfectly knew Cameron's measurements. She felt very uncomfortable with that idea.

Derek shook his head. He knew Cameron was going to the prom with Morris and that she had to keep her cover. But he wondered why she'd decided to do it and why she prepared herself so thoroughly. He wondered what kind of evil manipulation that CPU of hers was plotting.

Morris approached Cameron and expressed his admiration "You're beautiful, Cameron." Then he offered her the corsage he had bought. "This is for you."

The corsage was made of black leather and feathers and was matching her gown. She accepted it and put it at her right wrist.

"Thank you," she said cheerfully.

"May I?" Sarah asked Morris, taking Cameron's arm and drawing her apart. When they were out of range of being overheard, Sarah sighed and said, "Cameron, I think I owe you an apology. I can see all the efforts you've made for your preparation and I have been of no help to you. I don't exactly understand why it is so important for you, but… I'm sorry. I should have been more patient with you."

If Cameron was surprised by Sarah's apology, she didn't show it.

"Apologies accepted. I understand now why my initial choice wasn't appropriate. I should have followed your advice," Cameron answered. She didn't smile, but Sarah noticed that her eyes were noticeably softer than a few moments ago.

"Enjoy the party and watch yourself. Don't do…"

Sarah gritted her teeth. She'd caught herself again considering Cameron as her daughter, not the machine. To her credit, the cyborg's attire and the circumstances didn't help. _Damn Sarah, Cameron is not your daughter, it's a machine_.

"What?" Cameron gave Sarah a quizzical look.

"…please keep an eye on John."

"I will Sarah. You can count on me."

Sarah simply nodded and averted her stare from Cameron's eyes in sign of discomfort. She didn't know what to say. She wondered if the cyborg would understand her gratitude.

"I hear a vehicle approaching the house," Cameron suddenly informed her.

Sarah was glad the awkward moment did not last long.

"This must be the limo." She turned towards Morris. "Morris, the limo is for you too. You can leave your car in the yard. Okay kids, it's time for you to go. Now listen to me very carefully. You come straight back home after the prom. No after party shenanigans," Sarah declared with her classic 'and I mean it' look, so the things were clear for John in particular, she had no specific worry concerning Cameron.

Morris seriously nodded, impressed by Sarah's tone, John mumbled something and Cameron tilted her head in confusion. She stayed still for a moment and then motioned to follow as everybody was already getting out of the house. Once the boys were out the door, Derek chose that moment to stand in front of her.

"All polished up for the prom Miss Metal?" he said with all the contempt he could put in his voice.

Cameron stared at him with her usual blank expression and said nothing.

Derek took a menacing look and pointed at her. "Listen. I don't know exactly what you're up to with this prom stuff, but don't think you're gonna seduce and manipulate John that easily."

"Are you upset because you couldn't date me instead?" she responded flatly and then got past him to catch up with the others, leaving a gaping Derek now pointing at nothing but air. She went straight to John.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"What did Sarah mean by 'no after party shenanigans'?" Cameron asked with genuine curiosity.

John turned several shades of red in embarrassment.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Even before Cameron could acknowledge, he added "Yeah, I imagine you are." He sighed. "Well, um, you know Cam, the prom is a great moment for everybody in the school year. Some people may… make out or have sex with their dates afterwards," he confessed.

"Oh, thank you for explaining." Cameron curved her lips in a hint of a smile and left a flabbergasted John who wondered why she didn't ask him to elaborate, just like he expected.

_Is that all? Damn, what are you up to, Cam?_

Cameron was doubly annoyed by John's statement. First of all, she didn't particularly want to have sex with Morris and interrogated her tactical system to submit to her a way to dissuade him from trying. She dismissed the first list and added a condition to a new query: _without termination or serious injury_, but the new resulting list was empty. She would have to figure out by herself. She didn't want John to have sex with Riley either, but she didn't know how to prevent it, however. The end of the party was promising to be hectic.

"We have to go now. I told Riley I would pick her up at 7:30pm," John declared.

Sarah came outside to see them off. She surprisingly found it almost harder to see her son leaving for the prom than for a mission.

Morris opened and kept the limo's door open for his date to take place in. Just before she stepped into the limo, Cameron suddenly turned and went to Sarah and whispered to her, "Don't worry Sarah. Nobody will have sex after the party". She immediately turned to walk towards the limo with a very girly gait and took her place in, satisfied she could for once reassure Sarah.

_Wha–? _

Sarah could just stand with a stunned look on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but finally remained silent, not knowing what to say.

John and Morris stepped in into the limo. Morris sat beside Cameron and John across them. The limo moved away in silence. Sarah remained standing in the yard several minutes after the limo was gone, arms crossed on her chest, thoughtful.

_Have a nice prom, my son__. Forget all about this shit, at least for one night_. She turned and walked back to the house. She frowned. _What the hell did Cameron mean by 'nobody will have sex after the party'? _She didn't find the cyborg's statement particularly reassuring.

**D-Day, Friday 7:20pm**

The limo was quietly diving towards the house of Riley's foster parents. For the moment, the drive was rather silent. John wasn't too comfortable in his tuxedo, Morris kept staring intently at Cameron and Cameron didn't know exactly how to behave or what to say so she wisely chose not to do anything. She was sitting with her hands neatly resting in her lap, looking a bit down. As a consequence, she was looking very demure. It didn't surprise John, but Morris thought Cameron was now a very different person than the one he knew. The cold stare and self-confidence seemed to have gone away. _Maybe she was just pretending to be tough, now she's shy. Perhaps going with me makes her feel different. It's going well_.

Cameron tersely responded to some compliments from Morris, which she mostly did while looking at John.

7:34pm. The limo arrived at Riley's home. John told the driver to honk in order to tell her they were there. After several minutes, Riley still hadn't shown up.

"Maybe Riley is not coming John…" Cameron said. "We should go now, I don't want to be late." Morris smiled at the comment.

John opened the sunroof and stood up through the opening. He put his hands in front of his mouth in the shape of a megaphone and he started shouting.

"Riley, this is John. We're waiting for you. If you're not joining us within two minutes, we're going to leave without you."

One minute and twenty-three seconds later, Cameron heard someone knock at the smoked glass. She knew it was Riley, no need of advanced sensors to be sure. She was disappointed Riley could make it but marveled at John's efficient strategy.

John lowered the glass and Riley's face appeared. She was red and panting.

"Sorry. I didn't think it was you John. You said you would pick me up with your SUV," she explained while trying to catch her breath. She noticed Morris and Cameron. "…alone," she added.

"Yeah I know, but my mom rented this limo for us. Isn't it cool?"

"Yeah, sure," Riley smirked.

"Come on in," John said as he opened the door. Riley took her seat beside him, a bit closer than what Cameron was comfortable with. She was wearing a very short, daring strapless satin white dress which revealed most of her legs and cleavage. Cameron frowned. She felt unhappy. _I thought this kind of revealing dress was inappropriate. Would Sarah say she's a whore? Why doesn't John say anything?_

Riley decided to make the best of a bad job. She thought that if she could get close to John, it could durably mark the machine's simple mind. John involuntarily gave her the opportunity. He reached out and offered her the corsage.

"Riley, would you accept?" he asked.

Riley grabbed her chance. "Oh thank you John, it's beautiful. John, I don't like wearing it at the wrist. Can you pin it on my dress, just over there?" she asked, leaning further over him and showing a place above her left breast. The dress being strapless, John was caught up peering down at her cleavage. So he proceeded to pin the corsage his hands millimeters away from brushing up against her breast.

John started to turn red as he was facing some difficulties to complete the simple task.

Riley smiled coyly.

Cameron was inwardly fuming with rage and finding it increasingly difficult to keep her blank expression.

Morris was practically drooling as he thought about being able to do the same with Cameron.

"Cameron, if you want–"

"No." She snapped.

Morris saw that Cameron's expression had changed again. She was visibly very upset with the scene in front of her but he couldn't understand the reason. _Why is she upset? She's his sister, not girlfriend, so what the heck?_

John finally pinned the corsage and he leaned back again into the seat, trying to relax. He purposefully avoided Cameron's icy stare.

"Thank you John. My turn to give you something," she said mysteriously.

_What now?_ John and Cameron thought in unison.

"What is it?" asked John, afraid of what it could be.

"Your boutonniere. You can't go to the prom without it. Let me pin it for you."

She leaned over him again and undertook to pin the boutonniere at the tuxedo, pretending to have the same difficulties than him.

"Look, I can't do it either. Funny, ain't it?" Her breasts were slightly rubbing up against his chest in the process.

John was in a paroxysm of awkwardness, as he knew he was under Cameron's heavy stare.

When Riley finally did it, she leaned back in her seat close to John, satisfied.

A heavy silence fell in the limo as a deviously grinning Riley and an upset Cameron entered in a stare contest. For Cameron, Riley's behavior and outfit could only mean one thing. Cameron won it of course, but Riley didn't care, she knew she had the advantage. Cameron still glared at Riley long after she'd averted her eyes. She broke the silence and bluntly asked, "Do you want to have sex with John after the party?"

Everybody turned their head to Cameron with a look of complete shock on their face.

"Oh, Cameron! No, we're not… Cam, please apologize!" John said with an outraged look. He was flabbergasted by Cameron's boldness.

"No, it's okay John. I'll answer," Riley rapidly said, finding a way to catch the machine off guard. "If he's all right with it, I wouldn't say no," Riley added uncaringly with a wave of her hand, before a flustered John could even say something then she looked Cameron right in the eyes.

John turned red. "Riley!" He thought that was one of those moments where he seriously doubted he could become General Connor one day.

"You can't," Cameron remarked.

"Why?"

"Mom said 'no shenanigans after party' before we left," Cameron explained.

"John's not obliged to follow mummy's orders, is he?" Riley retorted, turning to look at John. "Would you prevent him from doing it?" Riley knew she could only win. If Cameron does, John will not be happy, and if Cameron doesn't, she stays with him. Check mate.

"You don't deserve to be his date," Cameron said, implicitly admitting defeat. The expression was still blank, but anger could be seen in her eyes.

_I can't believe it!_ John thought._ Is Cameron… jealous of Riley? It's time to regain the control of the situation otherwise it may end up badly._

"Ladies! This is no time and place for a quarrel. Please ease up. Cam, don't insist. Riley, don't push my sister," he said with the most convincing tone he was able to offer.

"Okay John," Riley said.

Cameron didn't move at all.

After a small moment, Riley noticed that the car was driving slowly. She glanced up and proposed. "Look, what about putting our heads through the sunroof?"

John would have agreed to anything that could avoid the heavy silence again. "Okay." They did so and enjoyed it for a moment, John holding Riley by her waist all the time.

Riley lifted up her arms to heaven and let out a cry of joy.

"How do you feel John?"

"We're fine. We're good. We're alive. For now." He said, enjoying the moment, but knowing that it would eventually come to an end one way or another.

"You're full of carrots and apples," Riley told him.

"Carrots and apples?"

"Yeah, carrots and apples. You know, happy thoughts."

Riley's statement triggered a search process in Cameron's database.

After a moment, John and Riley sat again. Cameron felt compelled to do the same, although unsure why. She put it on the purpose to better blend in.

"Morris, shall we do the same?" Cameron asked him.

"Oh, of course Cameron," Morris answered, too happy to please her.

They both popped up through the sunroof to take in the experience and enjoyed doing it too, though both differently. Cameron felt the light flow of air on her skin and through her hair, a sensation akin to the one she felt in the shower some hours ago. It was a pleasing and soothing sensation. She didn't prevent Morris when he gently but cautiously put his arm around her waist.

To his great surprise, John felt a pang of jealousy when he saw Morris' arm around Cameron's waist.

However, he didn't have the time to dwell on it. They were arriving at their destination shortly. It was 7:59pm, time to exit the limo and join the party, to Cameron's delight.

END OF CHAPTER


	4. Chapter 4: Heaven And Hell

**THE PROM  
**

**Author: Nyrki**

**Chapter 4****: Heaven and Hell**

Many thanks to my reviewers: TCandBTVSluver, PSG1JOHN, Velhu, olischulu, EvilTheLast, XxDeathStarxX and Lsquare. Your feedback is extremely valuable to me.

I wish everybody a great and successful year 2011. Now let's see how Cameron is going to live her first prom night.

* * *

Recap: John and Cameron both confirmed their respective dates about the prom. Cameron spent the afternoon to prepare herself and stunned everybody when she went down the stairs. Morris, John and Cameron then left in the limo Sarah had rented for them. They stopped to pick Riley up. During the rest of the journey, Riley openly seduced John in front of a very upset Cameron and heated words were exchanged.

Note: I have reused in this chapter the garage scene from "Ourselves Alone" between Cameron and Riley at some point and readapted it to the context of my story.

**

* * *

D-Day, Friday 8:02pm**

Becky Taylor was in the ballroom discussing various frivolous topics with a large group of friends. She frowned. Steven Richards, her boyfriend first and secondarily the school football team quarterback – priority reversed order for him – wasn't listening to her anymore, he was visibly engrossed in something or somebody behind her.

"Steven, are you listening to me?" she asked, annoyed.

"Yeah…" he replied absent-mindedly, not even bothering to look at her.

She turned to see what was so interesting. In the distance, standing at the entrance door within a group of four persons, she noticed an elegant looking girl in a long black dress. It was like she was a little lost, but Becky had to admit she was definitely looking gorgeous.

_Who's that girl?_ She wondered as she couldn't recognize the girl despite the rather short distance. She turned back, upset, and nudged her boyfriend in disapproval.

"Hey Steven! Stop looking at this girl and pay attention to me… or go with her. What does she have that I don't have?" she asked in very sarcastic tone, as if it was the most unlikely thing in the world.

"Becky, um… I think it's Cameron Baum," another girl declared. Sandra was in shock at the impossible vision.

"What?" Becky said, her eyes wide open in disbelief.

She turned again to have a better look and had to face facts. The girl she hated to admit she was now almost jealous of was actually Cameron Baum, the ever oddly dressed weirdo she'd always made fun of with her friends since she'd arrived in school. She couldn't believe at the spectacular transformation. It looked like the chrysalis became a beautiful butterfly. She dismissed the idea however, remembering the death stares she'd earned herself when mentioning her brother, speaking of whom was standing by her side.

She stared at John and found him very elegant in his tuxedo. She thought that there was something military in his attitude, in the noble sense of the word. She considered that maybe she made a mistake not to accept his invitation. Steven was more impressing, but he always had this touch of clumsiness that was somehow jarring with her natural class. At least, this is what she thought.

**D-Day, Friday 8:02pm**

Upon Morris' encouragements, Cameron entered the ballroom first, very carefully as she wasn't feeling quite comfortable, not exactly knowing what to expect. She examined the ballroom, not only for checking for threats and exits. It wasn't very large, but the dance floor seemed able to accommodate all the dancers. At the far end of the room on the left was the DJ and against the wall were various buffets for eating and drinking. The lighting was too soft for her liking, but she forced herself not to think about it.

When she finally stepped in, with the others in tow, some heads turned towards her. Cameron froze and turned to John.

"John, twenty-one males and nine females are currently looking at me. What's wrong with me? Do they suspect something?" Cameron asked, fearing she already might have to ruin the event by having to terminate everybody.

"No Cam, don't worry. The former admire you, while the latter are jealous of you, nuthin' unusual," John explained, not surprised at all by the effect of Cameron's appearance.

"Oh. Thank you for explaining," Cameron said, reassured.

She felt valued again at the idea that some human girls could be jealous of her. She had already dressed herself and behaved in a way to deceptively seduce persons during missions, for what she had never considered the effect back on herself and it had never worked on females. On top of that, she felt some sense of pride at the fact she could keep her promise because it wasn't originally in the bag.

The group slowly walked over the buffet. John served some drink for Riley and himself.

"Do you want something to drink, Cameron?" Morris asked.

"No, thank you. I'm not thirsty," Cameron replied with a bit of a forced smile.

During these first moments of the party, Cameron appeared engrossed, almost absent. She was thoroughly observing the people around herself. How they talked, how they laughed, how they behaved. It was quite different from their every day's school behavior. People seemed to behave a little more freely, they appeared to show more their inner self.

She realized that it was true for herself too, though in a different manner. She was also taking part in the event as a true person, not infiltrating it nor pretending to be human. She was actually _living_ the event for herself. More than ever in her short life, she had a glimpse of what it meant to be human.

Cameron was indiscreetly peering at a passionately kissing couple like a child would, mouth slightly open and tilting her head, when she heard somebody behind her calling her name.

"Miss Baum?"

Her voice recognition systems instantly informed her that the person who spoke was Mr. Mitchell, her teacher in mathematics. She turned and nodded at the man in his mid-forties walking over her, his hair was almost completely grey, but both his voice and appearance were those of a dynamic man. She already knew all the concepts Mr. Mitchell was trying to teach the class, but she appreciated him for his way of explaining mathematics, so different from SkyNet's. It would never be as short and efficient as a data download, but she found the method interesting. She had even learned new fields of application with him.

"Good evening, Mr. Mitchell," Cameron greeted him.

"Miss Baum, I didn't recognize you at first. Let me tell you, young lady, you look absolutely magnificent tonight," he declared.

_Does he mean I usually look bad?_ Past the small moment of disappointment, Cameron had to admit she still couldn't grab all the subtleties of the human language. She still needed her infiltration protocols but decided to make minimal use of them as a support to keep her cover.

"Thank you Mr. Mitchell. You're very dashing tonight too," was the answer she chose from the list of possibilities her systems proposed on her HUD.

"Thank you." He turned to Morris. "Mr. Villanova, I pay homage to your good fortune."

"Yes, Mr. Mitchell, Cameron is full of surprises," Morris replied with obvious pride.

Riley took the occasion to split the group, knowing that Cameron wouldn't allow it without the help of some external distraction. She leaned over to John and whispered in his ear. "It sucks to just stand around. Come on John, let's go dancing." She took John by his arm before he could say anything and dragged him away. Cameron looked over at John and Riley walking off towards the dance floor, she gave Riley an icy stare that thankfully nobody noticed.

"I have to say I'm a little surprised to see you here." Mr. Mitchell declared, snapping Cameron back into the conversation and unintentionally preventing her from taking any action to keep John close to her.

"Morris asked me and I promised I would." Cameron tersely explained.

"Well, I think this is a good thing. I've noticed that you and your brother were rather lonely. You two kept to yourselves, maybe you more than him however." Mr. Mitchell observed.

"We moved to LA recently. It's hard to make new friends," she lied.

"I imagine it is," the teacher agreed. "However, I'm glad you've decided to come tonight. Your presence is a nice surprise."

Cameron understood that this remark was in relation to his previous statement. "I thought it would be the occasion to better fit in," she replied with the ghost of a smile. It was an adequate answer in regard to her known indifference to social relations, but she knew that it was also true in regard to her true nature.

"You're still so quiet, as if you always want to express your thoughts with the fewest words. Sometimes, I believe that you have a computer in your head," he said, chuckling at his own witticism.

"Who knows?" she mysteriously answered with a small wry grin on her face.

"You know Ms. Baum," Mr. Mitchell continued, "I think that if you continue like this, the most prestigious universities will soon dispute themselves the honor to count you among their students."

_This is not my mission_.

"This is not my goal," she replied flatly, not picking up what the teacher had in mind.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Miss Baum," he explained. "Keep faith in your capabilities. You're sometimes disconcerting, but you are one of the most brilliant minds I've seen in my carrier," he sincerely complimented her. Brilliant mind, but impaired social interaction and communication as well as restricted behavior, Mr. Mitchell thought that Cameron might be affected by a very slight form of autism.

Cameron was usually taking little attention to what people said, beside valuable information they would give away for her mission. But what Mr. Mitchell said hit something in her. He didn't know what she truly was, but he believed in her capabilities. Only one person had told her that before: John. Not the John who was somewhere amongst the crowd, but the John who sent her back in 1999. He'd told her that he could only trust her, only she had the capabilities to fulfill her protection mission.

The teacher took his leave of the couple. He slightly bowed. "Now, if you would excuse me, the principal is calling me. I wish you a very pleasant party."

"Good evening, Mr. Mitchell" Cameron and Morris said in unison.

_This young lady is fascinating_, the teacher thought as he was walking off. _She's so different from her brother and her mother. I wish I had the chance to meet her father. He must have been someone special and teach her much. I bet he was working in the computer industry._

Pleasant. Indeed, Cameron was pleased with her conversation with Mr. Mitchell. She made a mental note to analyze their discussion further later. However, she was annoyed that Riley had taken John away from her, but fortunately, she'd been able to track them in permanence. Being an advanced machine had sometimes its advantages. She could run a background task to keep watch on John and Riley while keeping up a conversation with Morris and Mr. Mitchell. She could even filter the reigning noise and record the runaways' conversation. It wasn't ideal, but the situation was still under control.

###

Not far from the ballroom, Sarah got out of the SUV and locked it with the remote, John being in possession of the other one. She looked for a short moment at the building from which the muffled music came from and then rapidly got in the passenger seat of Derek's truck which slowly left the school parking lot with the characteristic growl of its V8 engine.

"I'm glad John could date a girl and go to the prom. Sure, he needs to keep his head in the game, but everybody needs to let the pressure go at some time," Derek joyfully said. What he didn't say is that he was happy that John had dated a real girl and even happier that the metal was being pulled away in the process. The only fly in the ointment being that _it_ was at the prom too. _Poor guy_, he thought of Morris. _I hope he won't attempt anything inconsiderate. He might not live long enough to regret it_. He finally frowned in disgust about the idea of making out with a terminator, would it be in the shape of a stunning female teenager.

"Yeah…" Sarah answered absent-mindedly. Needless to say she cared about her son like all mothers. John was going to the Prom tonight and therefore she couldn't help but thinking he was getting over another step in his life, far too soon for her taste. She was still considering the little boy she'd always had to protect, maternal instincts are very powerful. The way he was looking at Cameron sometimes wasn't helping either.

However, she maybe had more reasons to worry than the other mothers, about his condition in general, but also specifically about tonight. John was out in a public place and clearly not in the mood of caring about his own security. Thankfully, Cameron was still around. Not that it completely reassured her though, the cyborg was behaving curiously lately, and Sarah was not quite sure what to think about it.

Just as if he'd read in her mind, Derek suddenly declared, "I don't know what the machine is up to, Sarah. I don't like that."

Sarah imperceptibly flinched at the coincidence and looked over to him with an involuntary slight expression of surprise on her face. His joyful mood was gone, he was now all serious. Her reaction to Derek's blunt statement made her realize at what point Cameron had started to find her way to Sarah's heart. Too deep to her liking. She stayed silent while she thought about the machine and what Derek had just said.

"All this fuss about her preparation, I'm sure she wants to seduce and keep John close," Derek reasoned.

"Her, she? So this is how you call Cameron now? No more 'it' and 'metal'?" Sarah teased him with a mocking grin on her face.

Derek loathed himself for even not noticing. "Okay, you got me on this one. The outside and behavior maybe deceiving, but I'll never forget what's inside. Never!"

"Neither will I, but Cameron really seems different now… She said at the beginning that she would learn. Now I can see she's grown, I'm scared that I don't know where it'll lead her… and even more scared that she doesn't either."

"I think she… uh, it wants to intensify its influence over John… slowly but surely alter his way of thinking about machines. Might cause him take the wrong decision in time… and lose the war." He paused to make sure what he said was properly understood. Then "Machines are deceiving, devious, wicked and manipulative, with only one goal: kill all humans," he convincingly said.

Derek never expected Sarah's reaction to his last statement. She chuckled.

"What?" Derek asked in shock. Sarah's reaction was so out of place that he couldn't think about an adequate justification. "Is my fly open? Did my eyes glow red when I said it?"

As her only answer, she nodded towards something outside right in front of the truck. There was an advertisement of the WALL-E movie.

"Damn Sarah, we're not in some kind of cute sci-fi animation movie or lousy TV series. It's for real," Derek said in a louder tone, now upset that Sarah wasn't apparently catching the message.

"I don't know, Derek. Maybe you're right. It seems to me she just wanted to do this prom stuff, without being particularly up to something. I don't know why though," Sarah explained.

"Be careful Sarah, looks like it's twisting you round its little finger too," Derek warned her. "First the son, now the mother!" He started to think that Cameron's wicked plan included seducing Sarah too. Its main target would be easier to reach. With that, he admitted that the metal was starting to understand human relations quite well to undertake such action.

"No way," Sarah blurted out with much assurance, but inwardly, she felt the wall of her beliefs she though was indestructible starting to fissure.

###

John and Riley stopped dancing to get some refreshments. Riley leaned against the buffet table and took a provocative posture, exaggerated by arching her back and tilting her head back, putting her generous bust forward as a consequence. "So John, are you enjoying yourself?" she asked coyly.

John turned red at the obvious and less than subtle seducing maneuver. "Yeah, this is fun," he simply admitted. He was spending a nice moment with a nice girl who just seemed to find him attractive, oblivious of his real name and destiny. He liked this little game of seduction Riley was playing with him even if he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed with the girl's straightforward ways. He felt more like a normal teenager with their futile concerns, putting future General Connor in the background, at least for a moment. He knew he would come back soon enough.

"I'm feeling good spending time with you. I feel free with you. Do you?" Riley said seductively.

"Yes, we're free… for now."

Riley reached and planted a kiss on John's cheek.

"Uh, what was that for?" he asked, grinning.

"Oh, just because you're a handsome boy and I'm happy to be with you," she offered.

She put her glass down, took John's hand and dragged him towards the dancing crowd again.

In the meantime, Cameron was spending the evening with Morris but she seemed a little absent, constantly observing. He served himself a second glass of punch, he thought that a little help to overcome is shyness towards Cameron would be more than welcome.

_That's weird_, he thought. _It looks like she's still watching that girl Riley_. Starting to feel the urge to execute his plan, he gathered his courage and asked, "Shall we dance, Cameron?"

Cameron tactfully declined Morris' invitation. "No."

"Why Cameron? This is a great occasion for dancing."

"I don't know how to perform this kind of dance." Cameron deadpanned.

"You don't?" Morris said in surprise, but he immediately bit his lower lip. He remembered number 16 of the 'fifty most common mistakes boys make with girls' he thoroughly went over this afternoon: 'Don't point out girls' lacks of knowledge. They would feel belittled and therefore seek somebody nicer to them.' He tried to take a casual expression and went to something more positive. "Look, this is not difficult. Can I show you?"

Cameron thought dancing would be a way to better fit in and to get closer to John and Riley too. "Yes, I would be pleased," she accepted with a small smile.

Morris finished his glass in one gulp. He resolutely took Cameron's hand and she let herself be taken to the dance floor. She stood still in the middle of agitated people, not knowing what to do.

"Don't be shy. Nobody will laugh at you. Just listen to the music and move in rhythm," Morris told her.

Cameron launched another noise analysis process. She analyzed the music and calculated the main tempo and frequency levels. However, she couldn't figure out how to move according to these parameters. Ballet moves were more codified, the routines were easy to learn.

She decided to try something she learned without the help of her infiltration routines, so she performed some ballet moves she believed appropriate according to the music and that her slit dress allowed to do, earning herself some strange looks.

"Wow Cameron, that was… interesting," Morris appreciated, taking great care in his choice of words. "But you know dancing is…"

"…the language of the soul," she finished. "Wasn't that routine appropriate?" she asked, confused.

"Cameron, you can dance the way you wish. I'm just trying to teach you something more…" Morris took his time to choose the right word again. It was not the right time to hurt her. And he did. "…conventional," he told her. "Take a look at the others."

Cameron analyzed the various female dancers' moves and only started mimicking at first.

"These are erratic movement patterns. I can see no relation with the sound," Cameron deadpanned. Regretfully, she started to consider increasing her infiltration levels not to blow her cover. Dancing was so obvious and easy for humans, so she thought her difficulties could be suspicious.

"Close your eyes and just feel the beat, baby," Morris advised her.

Giving herself a last chance and ever wishing to learn, Cameron complied, even if she didn't understand how she could 'feel' music. She knew, or at least thought it could only be listened to. However, after a moment, she realized she could match the tempo of the music with her own movements and she felt a sensation akin to when she danced ballet. She found the experience of executing this very tribal act pleasing. They danced like this for a long moment and Morris marveled at Cameron's graceful moves.

At some point, an R&B hit from a famous singer was being played. Cameron remembered watching the corresponding video clip during one of the numerous nights she spent watching TV to learn… well, anything she could about humans. She fetched the file she'd recorded, finding at the moment that the dancer's movements were very unnatural and devoid of any meaning. She started performing the very daring and sensual dance routine the exact same way the artist did it, first under surprised then interested and finally admiring stares from people around, including Morris.

From her ballet experience, Cameron knew that reproducing a known routine was a way of dancing. When she recorded it from TV, she didn't understand at all, making a mental note to analyze it further. Unexpectedly, that time had now come. She'd learned much about humans and herself since then and beyond the pleasure provided by dancing, she started to grab the sensuality brought out of the routine, but that only lead her to another question.

_I don't understand. I though it wasn't appropriate to display sensuality in public_. However, while still flawlessly performing and highly enjoying it, she never stopped analyzing, thanks to her heavily multi-tasking system. She crossed the question with the observation she'd made short after she entered the ballroom, concerning the difference in people's behavior compared to normal school days. She came to the conclusion that there were different moments and places for different behaviors. The sole purpose of a party was to enjoy it, extend people's relations and possibly tying new ones. She found that dancing was a powerful act of seduction in this regard. She wished she could experiment her last brainwave with John, but immediately felt sad at the idea that she probably wouldn't be able to for a long time.

A pretty slender black girl joined her not long after she started and they synchronously performed. At the end, the people around them were over-enthusiastic, heavily applauding both of them. Before leaving, the black girl nodded at Cameron with a thumb up and a smile full of respect, wondering to herself how a tiny white teenage girl could move so well. Cameron gently smiled back, pleased by this small interaction.

Morris' took time to pick his jaw up off the ground. He thought that Cameron was remarkably talented for a girl who claimed that she didn't know how to dance less than half an hour ago.

Cameron enjoyed some more dancing when suddenly, a warning flashed on her HUD. Her surveillance process informed her that Riley was moving away from John. Her joy did not last long as she listened to the last reported statement by Riley, "Sorry John, I have to go to the bathroom. I won't be long."

Cameron seized the occasion to regain the control of the situation. She told Morris with a slight apologetic look, "Sorry Morris, I have to go to the bathroom. I won't be long."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you at the buffet."

Cameron headed towards the bathroom in straight line in her usual purposed terminator pace, jostling several dancers in her path. She looked at Riley entering the girls' washroom and entered too just a few seconds later.

To Cameron's satisfaction, the girl and the machine were alone in the room. Riley negligently turned to see who had entered after her and winced in realization of who it was. Cameron came up to Riley but stopped at a respectable distance from her. "What am I going to do with you?" Cameron asked, looking right into Riley's eyes.

"I don't understand. I don't know what you mean." Riley said, confused.

Cameron came straight to the point. "You're constantly trying to take John away from us. Are you trying to break up our family?"

"No. John wants to keep his distance from you. I'm just here." Riley replied. She was starting to worry. Her face was showing the stress of being alone with Cameron.

"You don't belong here. John isn't right for you and you're not right for him," Cameron stated. Her left hand twitched, which Riley noticed. "He can't see that." She walked over to Riley, slowly, menacingly.

Riley cringed. "Stop, please, you're freaking me out." She was now afraid, unsure of what the machine might do.

But Cameron was in a big quandary. Her logic was yelling that Riley was a threat and that she should kill her right now, but something she confusedly could only refer to as 'instinct' was telling her not to. There was definitely something strange about Riley' behavior and she knew John wouldn't be happy if she did. So she couldn't decide which direction to take. "You're unreliable. I don't know what to do with you," she stated quietly but still menacingly.

Riley was on the verge of panicking. "I'm just John's girlfriend. That's it."

Cameron felt a pang of anger. "You can't be John's girlfriend. You're a threat," she stated as she came even closer. "You can't stay here anymore. But I can't let you leave," she concluded. Her face was now centimeters away from Riley's. "What am I going to do with you?" she dithered.

Riley wondered why Cameron was hesitating, despite her crystal clear speech. She knew it was her only chance to escape, but she had to say something convincing to save herself. "Nothing! You're John's sister. You can't do anything to me."

Cameron tilted her head and smirked. "They don't always like the way I do things."

Someone suddenly entered the room. Becky Taylor moved in and looked at a blonde girl who was visibly afraid of the person being spoken to. _Wait! Cameron Baum again?_

"Help! She's trying to kill me!" Riley cried out.

"I know," Becky said in a very detached tone. "She does that all the time, believe me these are idle threats, don't worry."

"What crime did you commit anyway?" she continued. "Wait, I know! You said something bad about her brother, didn't you?" she declared with an accusing look to Cameron who turned to glare at her.

Riley took her chance and rushed outside the bathroom.

"You can't help it, can you?" Becky sighed and turned to face the mirror.

Cameron stayed still and silent for a moment then quietly left the room too, while Becky was reapplying some lipstick.

Riley hid in a small storeroom and hunched to let the intense fear drop. Her heart was only starting to slow down when she heard the steady and eerie slamming of high heels echoing in the corridor. It was her… _it_. Through the frosted window of the door, she saw the slender silhouette of the machine passing by. She closed her eyes and put in her hands on her ears, feeling the panic flow again. She remained so, until she couldn't hear the sound anymore. It reminded her from the time she was a tunnel rat and hid in an attempt to escape from the terminators when they broke up into the camp. She stayed in the storeroom a few minutes to calm down. Only then she started to think properly again. This is how deadly and mischievous the machine could be. She felt reinforced in her mission to save John from it. _Come on, Riley! You have to do it_. She stood up and went back to John. She let a sigh of relief when she saw no Cameron beside John.

John smiled when he saw Riley approaching. "Where have you been? I was starting to worry." His smile rapidly faded when he saw her stare. It wasn't anymore the cheerful look she had when she left. Now he could just see… fear.

"Hey Riley, what happened? Who–" He stopped as realization soon hit him.

_Cameron! Who else?_

"Riley, did Cameron hassle you or something?" he asked her with a concerned look.

Riley hesitantly nodded.

John was mad at Cameron. There was something wrong with Cameron when it came to Riley. He started to leave in search of Cameron but Riley took his arm and held him back.

"No John. Please stay with me…" she pleaded.

"Okay, but I'll have to talk with her about what she did."

"Maybe later, but for now, gimme something to drink and after we're going back to dance. I just want to be with you." She proposed John with a smile she hoped was convincing enough to hide her dread.

###

Derek parked the truck in the house yard and they both slowly got back into the house. It was still daylight and the air temperature was perfect. The mildness of the dying day was pleasing, inviting to idleness.

Derek headed right towards the kitchen, got two beers out of the fridge, uncapped them and gave one to Sarah on his way back to the living room. He flopped into the couch, crossed his legs over the coffee table and switched the TV on. He soon found himself zapping channels rapidly, unable to find a football match, everything else being crap for him. Well, maybe not all, but the rest he preferred some privacy to watch.

He'd already got through almost all the available channels when Sarah came over, unceremoniously tossed his feet away from the coffee table and sat on the couch beside him. She took a sip of her beer, and started looking at the TV set too, putting up with Derek's frantic changes of channel.

"Is this the way people watch TV in the future?" Sarah asked with a very serious tone.

Derek looked at her with a quizzical look. "The only TV sets we have in the future are linked to surveillance cameras. Nothing really sexy," Derek retorted.

"Oh! Now I understand the regular and constant changes of channels. No more automatic switches, so they asked you to manually do it. I can see you became an expert," Sarah replied with a grin on her face.

"Look, this is mean," he started and then let it go "Bah", considering that it was useless to argue with Sarah. He continued to make extended use of the remote until Sarah snapped it away from his hand and switched the TV off.

"What are you doing?" Derek asked, annoyed.

"Derek, the kids are out to the prom. Why wouldn't we get the chance to make our own little prom party too?" Sarah proposed. There was no immediate threat, so she considered it wasn't a bad idea that the adults may relax a bit too.

"Where? What? You want to go out?"

"No, I mean we can do it here, ourselves alone," Sarah said.

Derek smiled and looked Sarah right into her eyes. "Is that actually… a date?" he asked, amused.

Sarah squirmed. "Duh no, I just thought that it wouldn't be unfair we take a break too," she uncomfortably explained.

Derek thought he seldom had the upper hand over Sarah, so there was no way he wouldn't take advantage of it.

"Well, well, well. Let the mother aside and then the girl soon resurfaces. Go upstairs to slip into your prom dress. Take your time, I'll just go out and rent a tux. John gave me the address," he said taking his trucks keys and pretending to leave the house.

"I don't require that you pull out all the stops for me, silly," Sarah replied, trying to get out of the trap. Then she reconsidered and decided to challenge Derek. "To hell Reese, that's okay, I'll go upstairs and prepare myself, we meet again right here in an hour sharp. You'd better be ready," she said, pointing down the place they currently were.

She turned her heels and headed towards the stairs, leaving Derek to his considerations. She locked herself up in her room and stripped off her clothes. She slipped on red lace underwear which she concealed so well even Cameron couldn't find them. Then she took from her closet a sexy tight white dress she bought some weeks ago, just in case… well she didn't know why she bought it. Perhaps she did because it just pleased her, secretly and hopelessly wishing that she had the occasion to… And tonight was the perfect occasion. She slipped into the dress and decided on playing the game with Derek completely. She brushed her hair and when she was satisfied with it, undertook to apply make-up and some perfume she borrowed to Cameron. _Shame on me_, she thought to herself as a playful smile formed on her lips.

She felt really excited to prepare for an event unrelated to Skynet or terminators. She felt ashamed but it was so good she applied herself to her preparation like a teenage girl for her very first prom. For a second, she wondered if Cameron had felt the same way in her room this afternoon, before immediately dismissing the idea the cyborg could feel something so human and complex.

Sixty five minutes after having left Derek, she got out of her room on her way back to the living room. Sixty five and not sixty, not because she was late, but just because a girl had to keep boys waiting. She couldn't help but mincing a bit too much while getting down the stairs. She noticed that not only was Derek there, but he was actually wearing a tuxedo.

_How did he manage to do that?_

At the sound of Sarah's first steps on the stairs, Derek looked at his watch and started, "You're five minutes la–". The word lost itself in his throat as he peered up to Sarah and gaped in awe at the vision.

Sarah noticed. She smiled and said, "What? Can't I make myself presentable?"

"Wow Sarah, you look really great," Derek clumsily said.

"Why thank you Derek," she appreciated, gently closing Derek's mouth by lifting his chin with her right forefinger.

"Would you mind getting me a drink Derek? It's not polite to let a girl be thirsty!" she asked in a very coy manner.

"Uh, sorry. Make yourself comfortable, I'll bring some more beers," Derek answered and soon disappeared in the kitchen.

_He's beyond redemption_, Sarah though in a sigh.

As he made his way back to the living room with an armful of beers he wished was sufficient to let them rest at least for a short moment until he would have to fetch some anew, he heard the first notes of music.

"What's that?"

"Music from the 80's. Maybe you forgot about it."

"I know what it is, thanks. You're not going to let that crap playing, are you?"

"Crap? Are you kidding? This is the best music ever. They couldn't make somethin' even close since then," Sarah said.

"Live in your time Sarah," he advised her.

"This is not really my time…" Sarah replied with some melancholy. _I cheated to be here and now_, she thought. "And neither is yours, remember?" she added.

"This is right. But as soon as the only music we have in the future is from our weapons, I'm entitled to appreciate any music from my past… which is actually now, by the way."

"Stop it Reese. I don't need to catch a headache now!" Sarah snapped.

"Anyway, the only music I like from the eighties is rock," Derek indicated.

"Okay let me guess which genre. I'd bet… metal. I hope you prefer it from this period because in the future, it seems rather ironic that metal is used for… killing" Sarah said with a voice full of sarcasm.

Derek froze at Sarah's most unexpected declaration. For a moment, he didn't know to react. Then he burst out laughing, a huge and sincere laugh.

Sarah, who also froze at first at her own boldness, soon started to chuckle and then joined Derek in his roars of laughter. It took them several minutes to calm down, until Derek was able to say something.

"Damn Connor, you've never dished out that much self mockery before… But that was hell of a good one," he appreciated.

He left his beer up and Sarah knocked her own bottle into Derek's. "Fuck the metal for tonight," Derek joyfully declared as they did.

At Sarah's sudden frown, Derek could only give her a surprised look again. "What?"

Then he realized what he'd just said. "No, I… This is not what I meant. I… I'm sorry." He then wore a disgusting look. "Eww". He loathed himself for suggesting something he always considered that could never happen.

It was Sarah's turn to burst out laughing.

"If you could have seen your face… So funny," she barely managed to say between laughing and wiping tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, right" Derek muttered, wondering how he could have left the situation slip like that and lose the upper hand on Sarah in the process.

###

Cameron decided not to inform John about her encounter with Riley. There was nothing conclusive about it, but there was something strange about this Riley she couldn't quite put a finger on. She was annoyed not being able to find out. She located John anew and saw Riley walking in his direction. She knew John would inevitably tell her off now about scaring Riley, unless… But there was nothing she could do for the moment. She went back towards Morris, her usual blank expression on her face.

Morris didn't fail to notice her mood swing. "Is there something wrong, Cameron? You've been gone a very long time," he asked.

"Nothing I can't deal with," Cameron responded flatly and looked away, indicating that the conversation was over.

_Here is the Cameron I know again__, uncommunicative and disturbing._

Morris hesitated about the action to take. Something must have happened during her absence, Cameron looked impressively tenser than before she went to the bathroom. He didn't dare asking her the reason. Anyway, he hardly dared asking her anything when she was like that. He needed her to be in a better mood if he wanted to make out with her. He took a sip of his glass of punch and then another to help him think.

_What can I do now to cheer her up__ again?_

He got unexpected help from the DJ who chose this moment to play softer music. He jumped at the chance and invited Cameron to dance a slow number with him, sensing that it would probably be the right moment to make his move if she were to relent.

"Would you like to dance again, Cameron?" Morris tentatively asked.

Cameron decided she could resume her 'prom' activities, as there was anything she could do concerning Riley for the moment. "Another type of dance?" Cameron inquired, noticing the change in the type of music.

"Yes, I can show you if you would allow me," Morris tentatively proposed. "This one is danced in couple. I know you'll do perfect," Morris said, satisfied he retained the lesson this time.

Cameron nodded and they went on the dance floor again. This time, Cameron observed the other dancers first and let Morris come closer, take her left hand, move his left arm around her waist and place his hand in the small of her back. She put her right hand on his left shoulder, mimicking the other female dancers' position. Despite the correct position, Cameron felt very uncomfortable with the closeness to Morris. She remained very stiff and tried to maintain some distance between them while dancing.

_She's shy_, Morris thought. _She's impressed. It's almost time. _Morris tried to get closer and let his left hand wander a little lower than necessary.

Cameron noticed the change in Morris' posture. _What is he doing?_ She restored a little distance but did it gently, using only a fraction of her strength, forcing Morris to reposition his arm properly.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Morris whispered in her ear, barely covering the music.

"Yes, I am", she replied flatly, not really knowing what to say, but willing to maintain a good atmosphere. Despite Morris' slightly unsteady balance, she found this new dance interesting and hoped to experience it with John later. Again, she doubted she would tonight according to the current course of events.

"You make me feel good, you know that Cameron?" Morris said, leaning his head over hers.

Cameron did not reply. She was feeling more and more uncomfortable. She understood what Morris was up to but still didn't know how to prevent him.

In front of Cameron's apparent docility and in the euphoria brought by alcohol, Morris decided to make his move. _She's speechless. She's ready. This is now or never!_

He let his hand slip down on Cameron's ass and tried to close the distance between their lips in an attempt to kiss her. Predictably enough, Cameron's reaction time was much faster, so he failed.

"No!" she cried.

Forced to the wall, she forcefully pushed him away. He staggered back and hit a couple behind him, they almost fell to the ground. She walked over him and slapped him. Fortunately for Morris, a safeguard process prevented her to apply the force corresponding to her current anger otherwise he would have been instantly decapitated. That wouldn't have been an appropriate social behavior.

For Morris, however, the slap was strong enough and he put his hand on his reddening cheek. He looked back in confusion at a very upset Cameron.

"You can't… I would never allow you to… Only John… could..." She stuttered, not quite able to control her words in anger. Her face betrayed her anger and she threw him an icy stare.

"I'm sorry Cameron. I thought you and me… could be together." Morris apologized, trying to justify his behavior.

She fought the desire to hurt him some more. _Why do I feel like that? It's inadequate and useless._ Winning the improbable battle for self-control, she finally said in a tone that let him no choice, "Morris, please go."

Hurt as much physically as in his pride and deeply disappointed, Morris turned and went away with his head hanging down. Only then he picked up Cameron's slip. _John?_

Cameron left the dance floor in the opposite direction. The incident was rapidly forgotten by the crowd and everybody resumed dancing. Disappointed and not knowing exactly what to do in such a situation, Cameron went back to the buffet, took a glass and sat into one of the numerous free chairs. The dancing floor was crowded and everyone seemed to greatly enjoy the party. She had no intention to drink anything, but her infiltration routines informed her that she would be less suspicious with a glass in her hand.

She didn't notice much when a guy sat into the chair next to hers.

"Hey, pretty princess," came the voice from her left.

Only one person had called her so before. She was so happy John wasn't upset with her after all the mess that she failed to mention the warning from her voice recognition routine that appeared on her HUD.

"Oh John, I'm sorry I–" Cameron said, smiling and turning her head but her voice trailed off in realization the guy wasn't who she hoped it was. She cringed a bit. On her HUD was a yellow icon displayed with the mention 'No voice match found'.

"You know me?" the guy said. Then without waiting for an answer he added, "My… My little princess… knows – hic – me, J… John Sullivan." While speaking, the guy was holding in his right hand a half-filled glass that he threatened to spill at each of his moves and a bottle in the other. He had an unsteady balance and his eyes seemed like they were glassy. He was smiling stupidly at Cameron.

Cameron's expression went to blank as quickly as the time it took her to realize her mistake. "No, I don't. I mixed you up with…" she tried to explain the man.

"Yeah, I'd love to get mixed up with you," he cut her off as he leaned a bit closer.

"No, I was just saying I mixed you up with somebody else," she patiently explained.

"No you don't… princess… I… I'm the guy you're looking for… I like the vibe you're giving in my direction… I think you're saying let's damp, uh, dance… C… Ch… Check this out," the guy said and he ridiculously wriggled on his chair, almost falling off.

She consulted her thesaurus. Vibe = short for vibration. "I'm currently not emitting any vibration of any kind beside my voice," she informed.

"C'mon baby, can't you see? Don't rely… uh, deny we were bound to mate… uh, hic, meet," he stuttered.

The man's speech and behavior were making no sense to Cameron. She dismissed the idea he was a terminator, so she thought that perhaps this human was mentally deficient. "Your brain seems to be damaged. Maybe Alzheimer's disease, you seem out of control of thought, memory and language," she said.

"Uh? Wh… What do you mean? I'm in total controvers… construct, hum, control of my b.. body, including…" The drunken man's voice trailed off as he looked down at his crotch. "Want to edify… verify?" he burst out.

Cameron smirked, not only at the gross hint, but also because her systems reported that the air breathed out by the man was heavily impregnated with alcohol. So much, in fact, that it overloaded her sensors, in reaction to which she wrinkled her nose.

"You're drunk," Cameron stated.

"No, I'm… hic… not," he replied while trying to remain upright. "…tipsy at the most." With that, he filled in his glass from his bottle and then a second that he offered to Cameron.

Cameron shook her head in refusal. She wondered how the guy could deny the obvious fact.

He slightly shrugged and gulped his glass all down. "C'mon baby. L… Let's go dancing," he resumed.

Cameron remembered the advice that Linda, the girl who replaced Eric at the library, gave her in order to push unwanted ones away, among which drunken people who were, in her opinion, the thickest ones, a statement about which Cameron required further explanation, as she didn't understand the relation between being drunk and a physical characteristic.

"I have a boyfriend," she deadpanned. She wished it was true.

"And where is he? Where's your procurer, uh… protector then?" the guy said, spreading his arms and looking around in a demonstration that the absent are always in the wrong.

"No, I am his protector," Cameron found accurate to rectify.

"Uh? You protecting your boyfriend?" the drunken man said in surprise, soon after which he chuckled. "Who can be so weak he has to rely on his tiny, defenseless boyf… uh, girlfriend to protect him?"

Cameron fought the urge to terminate the guy right away. Not because of his appreciation of her, though. The fact was, she hated hearing people talking about her John in unpleasant terms. "John, I mean my John, will save mankind one day," Cameron said convincingly.

"… but currently not his girlfriend," he completed.

Cameron looked down. She knew it was wishful thinking to consider John as her boyfriend. Beyond the fact that she was more than able to ensure her own safety, she thought that John currently wouldn't rush in to protect her. She confusedly thought she would be glad if he did.

Drunk but noticing Cameron's hesitation, the guy proposed, "Don't you prefer me p... protecting you instead?"

"No," Cameron said louder, glaring back at the guy. "I'm not interested. You're drunk," she repeated with a little more insistence.

But the guy didn't get flustered. "Yes, I'm drunk and now I want to fill… er no, not yet… feel you up."

_Oops_.

Fortunately for him, Cameron was not able to catch his slip. Surprised by the direct request to do something that normally required a followed relationship and pushed by her natural curiosity, she asked "Why would I let you do that?"

Surprised but glad not to be thrown away, the guy just said "Well, you know…" Then thinking he could still possibly seduce the girl, he added "…foreplay, before we move to something more serious."

"Doesn't that involve feelings and a relationship beforehand?" she asked.

"Why b… bother with feelings, it's going to be a one night stand," the guy bluntly said with a lustful look.

_One n__ight stand guard? So nothing serious after all_. "Okay I'm on, I do that every night," the cyborg replied.

The guy cringed, not believing what he was hearing. He was surprised that the girl gave in so easily, but finally smiled at his own luck. "Oh, under your innocent looks, you're a slut. We're going to get well off, you and me," he said placing his hand on her thigh and caressing her soft skin.

Cameron did not understand the relation between a one night stand and the guy's overfamiliar and unacceptable behavior with her. She now wanted the guy to leave. She put her hand on his and started to squeeze it. She initially wanted to break a couple of his fingers and throw the nuisance out for good but there were too many people around, so she decided to change her mind. Besides, she thought that she deserved a little distraction too. So she simply stopped his hand from going further up her thigh and said with a slight but devious grin, "Not here. Let's have fun somewhere… quieter."

The guy beamed and he emptied his glass in one gulp before he attempted to stand up. He lost his balance but Cameron efficiently prevented him from falling to the ground.

"Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome. Hey, I think we'll need this," Cameron said, holding the bottle that was at the origin of his current condition.

"Yeah. C'mon babe," the man just replied, feeling the urge to take action at last. He seized the bottle from one hand and then Cameron's ass with the other.

_Again?_

Oblivious to the fact he escaped death by a hair's breadth for the second time in a couple of minutes, the man lead Cameron away from the dance to a Janitor's closet. He never noticed either that the 'tiny girl' effortlessly handled his weight all the way long, otherwise he wouldn't have gone much farther than his chair.

After finally helping him to sit on the chair, Cameron closed the door and the blind. She turned to face the man.

"Oh, you're going to be naughty, aren't you?" he said, drinking yet another glassful straight from the bottle.

"Yes, I am," Cameron confirmed with a devious grin.

The guy had difficulties standing up but succeeded after some pathetic attempts. "You really turn me on, little bitch," he said, trying to reach her.

_Turn on? Humans are not machines, they can't be turned on and off_. She thought that it would sometimes be useful nonetheless.

As soon as he was at the right distance, Cameron prepared herself to knock him out, lifting up her right arm at head's level and clenching her fist. But the man was moving slower and slower, ending practically still at arm's length and with a vacant stare. Cameron tilted her head, confused, before she realized alcohol had finally got the better of him. So instead of punching him, she put her left forefinger on his forehead and pushed very slightly. The man collapsed back to the ground, unconscious and… loudly snoring.

_If only battles were__ all that easy to win_, she thought to herself. _But not all enemies spoil their own capabilities like humans do. This is a serious flaw in their design._

Cameron took the bottle and spilled the remaining contents on the passed out man. She put the empty bottle in his hand and started to leave. She was about to open the door when she had second thoughts and went back to the man. She unbuttoned his pants before leaving for good, hoping he will be discovered in this embarrassing situation. _Next time he will think twice_, she thought.

Cameron went back into the ballroom and withdrew at the far end of the room in the shadows, she was feeling betrayed. _I only promised Morris to go to the prom with him and that man… Why do all humans always try to abuse someone else's confidence?_ She wondered. The events were not turning as she expected. Not only John and Riley were still together, visibly enjoying themselves, but also the party was taking a disastrous turn for the worse for Cameron.

Hurt deeper than she would admit and not really encouraged to let her human side express it, Cameron involuntarily reverted to her more cyborg-like ways. She stood motionless and resumed watching John and Riley as her main task. She quickly spotted them again, but she felt a very unpleasant sensation to see them locked into a tender embrace. She could not maintain a blank expression. The feeling of failure was so deep it slowly appeared on her face. For the first time, she wondered if she could fail her protection mission. The image of Future-John in the TDE room, minutes before he'd sent her back popped in her mind. He'd told her that he was sure she would succeed. Worse, she knew what Present-John would soon tell her. _I'm sorry John_, she thought sadly. _I failed you. I'm only a machine_.

END OF CHAPTER


	5. Chapter 5: Cameron's Gamble

**THE PROM**

**Author: Nyrki**

**Chapter ****5: Cameron's Gamble**

Many thanks to my reviewers: olischulu, Sedgie, PSG1JOHN, XxDeathStarxX, arthur1920, Lsquare, EvilTheLast, CloudyShadows, Velhu, TCandBTLSluver and KevinInScotland. Thanks for your support and your valuable comments.

I haven't updated since a long time and I apologize. I've been very busy at work and helping a close friend lately. I also had a kind of writer's block following a very good remark from XxDeathStarxX who got me alter chapter 5.

Now I'm back, at least our protagonists.

* * *

Recap: At the party, Riley took advantage of a discussion between Cameron and her teacher in mathematics to take John away and try to seduce him. Unable to do anything about it and on Morris' insistence, Cameron tried and enjoyed dancing until Morris clumsily tried to make out with her. She slapped him, upset that he tried. When Riley went to the bathroom Cameron decided to follow and tell Riley to leave John alone. However, hesitating about what to do, she let Riley escape. Cameron knew that the inconclusive encounter will eventually make her face John's wrath. Has she lost him?

**

* * *

D-Day, Friday 10:17pm**

Cameron was standing unnaturally still alongside the buffet with a face expression she wanted to keep blank, but eventually she was unable to hide the deep distress she was currently in. She considered that she was about to lose the risky game against Riley she'd started herself, and her advanced AI could not infer anything to prevent it from happening.

Her tactical systems raised an alarm to inform her that her current behavior was getting suspicious and that in the crowded area, she was suffering an 82.8% chance that somebody noticed it. For that matter, her systems informed her that somebody was heading in her direction. The full activation of infiltration routines was strongly recommended but Cameron did not comply.

She noticed a girl slowly walking over her. She was slender and elegant with a sporty look, long straight light blonde hair that flowed down to the small of her back and intense blue eyes that matched in color her classy dress. Cameron couldn't help but noticing her breasts too, not as big as Riley's vulgar ones, but ideally sized and shaped. She wished she had the same.

"Hello, Sweetie," the girl said with a light but very pleasant smile.

"Who are you?" Cameron flatly asked.

"My name is Cara," the girl replied. "I, um, not that I was spying on you, but I witnessed what happened with, um, the boy who, um, visibly undertook an unfortunate action with you…" she tentatively added.

Cameron tilted her head, not knowing what the girl was talking about and where she wanted to come to. "I don't understand. Be more specific, please," Cameron required.

"Well, I imagine the boy you slapped did something you didn't appreciate much," Cara explained.

Cameron didn't see any reason to refute, as the scene happened in a public area. "Yes, I pushed him away," she admitted.

"He tried to hit on you badly," Cara ventured.

"No. He wasn't that violent," Cameron replied.

Cara froze a slight moment in confusion. "He hasn't been nice with you?" she rephrased.

"Yes. He tried to abuse me."

"Welcome to the club!" Cara said sarcastically.

"There is a club?" Cameron asked, tilting her head again.

"You're funny. Look, um, what's your name, Sweetie?"

"My name is Cameron, not 'Sweetie'," Cameron corrected.

Past the strange initial contact, Cara sensed that Cameron needed comfort. "Listen Cameron, boys are assholes. All they want is to sleep with you, they don't even care about your name," she said while gently stroking Cameron's forearm, who didn't seem to take any offense at it.

Cameron didn't understand what so rude about an unknown boy wanting to merely sleep in her company, rather incongruous at the most. She saw no threat, even for a human girl. Besides, with her lack of need to sleep, she considered that this situation could never happen.

"I'm not concerned," she therefore declared.

Cara had to contradict the girl. "Oh yes you are." She considered that despite her age, the reckless girl seemed to underestimate, even disregard the risk of being abused. She thought it was her duty to warn an apparently weak and inexperienced Cameron about it.

"Why?" Cameron asked, still not seeing any threat in such a situation.

Cara opened wide her eyes, "You know… sex!" she casually said.

"Oh, thank you for explaining," Cameron said, realizing the misunderstanding caused by her lack of comprehension of yet another unknown human expression. She added the new entry in her thesaurus, never to make the same mistake twice.

"It's a pleasure to help, pretty girl," Cara greeted her, placing her hand on Cameron's. She found Cameron's skin very soft and thought it would be an even greater pleasure to take time exploring the beautiful body with silk-like skin.

_Pretty girl? I don't understand. Maybe it's a__ specific expression of politeness during a discussion between two females. I have to reciprocate._

"Maybe they're not all like that," Cameron wished loudly, thinking about John. She didn't really know however, as John never asked her to sleep with him. He may have been sometimes rude to her, but at least he never tried to abuse her. Not that she would really complain if he did. She wondered why her attractiveness didn't seem to work on the only boy she wanted it to. She let out a sigh of frustration. _What's wrong with me?_

"Yes they are, I can tell you… at least in this school," Cara assured.

"You've tried them all?" Cameron asked in surprise, her logic telling her that if someone asserted something, then they had extended proof about it. She considered it would be a hard and long task, even for a tireless cyborg. Then she frowned at the idea John was attending this school too and she felt a pang of jealousy.

"Ugh no! I'm not such a slut," Cara defended herself with an overplayed fake outraged look on her face. "But I've been going out with enough boys to be able to draw a general conclusion about the male sex."

Cameron recalled her discussion with the drunken man, minutes ago. "That is correct. Sluts are women who have one night stands," she bluntly declared.

"Woah Cameron, you're too categorical. I have to disagree. You can have a one night stand without being a slut," Cara explained. "Well… this is what I think."

Cara's remark pleased Cameron. Cara just told her she wasn't a slut despite the fact that she was able to stand guard one whole night and therefore she wouldn't have to try all the school's boys. A relation with one particular boy was all she was interested in.

"Thank you for helping me, pretty girl," Cameron said with a small smile, placing her hand on Cara's.

Cara was pleased with Cameron's encouraging reaction. She thought that maybe she could make out with her.

"You're welcome. Only a girl can fully understand another girl. This is why I changed radically, if you see what I mean…" Cara said with a seductive look.

"No."

"Oh, come on Cameron, you're teasing me," Cara said with a slightly pleading tone. "Maybe you should try something different. Maybe you should look for somebody who really cares for you. I…"

"John…" Cameron whispered, looking down.

"Oh," Cara let out with a touch a disappointment in her voice. _Too bad, her heart already belongs to someone else_. She remembered Cameron calling the boy she slapped 'Morris' so she asked, "So if you want to be with this John, why going out with another boy?"

"I promised," Cameron justified.

"It looks like you made the wrong choice, girlie," Cara said. She couldn't quite believe it, but again, Cameron's naivety surprisingly suggested she was living her first love story despite her age and her looks. She seemed to have this John deep under her skin but something was wrong. She decided to carry on, she liked Cameron. "Do you love that John?"

"I think I do," Cameron offered without much conviction, as she didn't know herself if it was true. She didn't know exactly why, but sharing her emotional burden with somebody was somehow soothing.

"You think? Cameron darling, listen to your heart and when you're sure, just get him. Don't wait for him," Cara advised her.

_Listen to my__ heart… I don't have a heart, so I will never know?_

"But he is with another girl," Cameron said ruefully.

"Oh. I see."

"I know she's not right for him," Cameron continued, still in a crestfallen tone that suggested she didn't know what to do against it.

"But you think you are. So get rid of the bitch," Cara proposed.

Cameron stiffened. _So even humans agree I should terminate her_. "Get rid of the bitch," she softly repeated.

Noticing the weird stare Cameron had when she spoke, Cara felt the need to rephrase. "I mean, oust her."

_Bummer._

"My previous girlfriend ditched me two months ago," Cara continued.

_Girlfriend?__ Oh!_

Cameron realized what kind of relation Cara preferred and with that the real significance of all the various ways she'd called her. She understood that she unintentionally encouraged Cara in the belief she would willingly engage such a relationship with her. Cameron felt flattered to be hit on by an attractive girl, but she soon started to wonder how she could clarify nicely the situation, as she didn't want to be rude with someone who'd listened to her. Again, Cameron found something reassuring discussing with the pleasant although pushy Cara. She wondered if appreciating discussions between girls was a common human trait or if she inherited it from Allison Young's matrix. She inwardly frowned at the counterexample that Sarah represented.

"The bitch ditched me for another girl and never dared to tell me face to face. I don't blame her though, as it was with my best friend. Well, my now ex- best friend. Can you believe it?" Cara explained, now visibly very upset. She was about to follow on as this question never required an answer but Cameron cut her.

"Yes I can," she confirmed with a serious tone on her face.

It made Cara chuckle as she was already getting used to Cameron's strange ways.

Cara resumed her little story. "Anyway, I know this is vain, but I stole my ex-girlfriend's cell to find the name and call my ex-best friend to leave a nice appreciation message. Then I called the time service and never hung up. It must have cost her…"

"Find the name?"

A plan brewed in Cameron's head. Maybe there was finally a way she could find out what Riley was up to with John. It was risky and she knew it could worsen the situation for what she would have to face John's wrath sooner than expected, but she decided the game was worth it.

"Yeah. I'm not very proud of what I…"

"Thank you," Cameron snapped her again with a bright smile and placed a quick peck on Cara's lips before swiftly leaving her. She'd seen people doing that in similar circumstances in certain movies, she thought it was appropriate to replicate. Besides, she felt it was something she should do, in a sign of both appreciation of and apology to Cara.

Cara recovered from her initial surprise and grazed her lips with her forefinger where Cameron's had touched hers. She smiled. She maybe couldn't date this pretty Cameron, but the girl was sweet and funny, she inwardly wished her good luck with her John. _I really hope for you that I was wrong about boys, at least one of them_, she thought, and then about herself that she would probably not be able to find another girl as pretty as Cameron tonight.

###

As soon as the night fell, Sarah and Derek decided to sit out on the patio, windows wide open to let the music out. They were relaxing – flopped would be a better description – on canvas chairs, and now a lot of empty bottles laid strewn on the ground.

Alcohol was starting to produce its effect on both of them, although they had a far greater resistance than average people. This was unexpected for the rather petite raven haired woman, but Sarah could deceive people about a lot of things.

"…and just when he wanted to close his fly, a triple 8 emerged right in front of him. Someone shot at it with his plasma rifle and it fell right on top of him. Jesus, it was like he was… well, you see… We called him 'metal maker' for almost a year." Derek slapped his thigh as he finished his story.

They laughed heavily at the funny story Derek told Sarah. She took yet another sip of her beer and frowned. "This beer tastes like crap. Don't you have anything better?" she threw to Derek.

"And you just waited all this time to mention that? How can you say, you're drunk!" Derek said.

"No I'm n… not," Sarah boldly asserted, lifting her chin up and peering at Derek with a 'who-do-you-think-I-am' look on her face but struggling to stay upright. "Bring in something more serious, would you?"

"Alright ma'am, I'm gonna see what I can get from my personal reserve," Derek answered. He gave a serious look to Sarah.

He stood up with difficulty and staggered back into the house. While waiting for his return, Sarah looked up at the bright stars and let her thoughts wander about various topics that concerned her. After a long moment, she realized Derek wasn't back, she called his name.

"Hey Reese! What are you doing?"

She heard a noise like something fell to the ground. A few moments later, Derek reappeared and sat back into his chair, almost falling over as he didn't aim properly. He put a bottle of Tequila and two small glasses on the little table between them. "Hum, sorry, I got distracted," he offered.

"I bet you fell asleep," Sarah ventured.

Derek nodded sheepishly and rapidly changed the subject. He poured the corrosive liquid into the glasses and said "Try this. I think you'll like it." _It'll bring you down in no time_.

Sarah took the glass and emptied it in one gulp, hardly wincing after that. "That's better, where does it come from?" she inquired.

Derek's jaw fell. _Now I understand why she became a legend_.

"Uh, Mexico. They told me it was the strongest they have," Derek said while looking suspiciously at the bottle. He started to wonder if he had not been swindled. Then he recalled about Sarah's past in South America and considered that she probably hadn't drunk only water there.

Apparently impervious to the effects of the strong beverage, Sarah went melancholic again. Or perhaps had alcohol this peculiar effect on her.

"I wonder how it is going for them?" she suddenly asked, looking at nothing in particular.

"For who?" Derek asked in return, his brain no more functioning at one hundred percent since a long time.

"John and Cameron," Sarah made clear. She hoped John was enjoying the moment. She found herself hoping that Cameron had a nice moment too for her own standards and that she could learn much about humans.

"I'm sure John is spending a nice evening with this Riley girl," Derek said.

Sarah smirked.

"And if the metal hasn't killed everybody yet, I bet it's making a nice demonstration of break dance," Derek sarcastically added. He might be drunk, but he could still save a little consciousness to say something nasty about Cameron. "I knew I was right to advice her to use some oil."

For some reason she didn't quite understand why she found Derek's remark inappropriate. She lied to herself again by putting her reaction on the effects of alcohol which otherwise tend to relax her.

John, Cameron, Riley. For different reasons, she didn't like any of the respective relationships between these three. Bad luck, they were precisely altogether out for the prom night and currently, there was nothing she can do. She made a silent vow that nothing bad happened.

###

Cameron looked over to see John and Riley standing alone against the wall. As she expected, John called her name right at the moment he saw her heading towards them.

"Cameron, come here," he summoned her.

Cameron calmly walked over him. "Yes John?" she replied innocently, passing behind Riley to face John, putting her hands behind her back, like a child about to be told off. Unbeknownst to John and Riley, she grabbed an item that was lying on the buffet table, right behind her.

John glared at Cameron. He looked upset. "Riley told me that you threatened her in the bathroom. Why did you do that?"

"We already spoke about this John. You know what I think," Cameron retaliated, now with a perfectly blank expression on her face, making it impossible to determine what she was thinking. She knew she couldn't convince him, but she didn't waste the occasion to remind him what was at stake, without giving anything away for Riley or setting John against her even more.

"Well, I do. But this is not your choice to tell who is right for me and who isn't. This is my decision. Mine!" John told with much anger in his voice as he forcefully stressed on the last word. "Stop meddling in my private life Cameron. Do I make myself clear?" he continued.

"Yes."

"And stay away from Riley. If I learn that you hassle her again then I'll bur–, um, make you regret it. Understood?" His anger almost made him slip but he caught himself just in time.

"Yes."

His message duly transmitted, John unceremoniously dismissed her. "Now you can go back with Morris."

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't go back with him?" John asked in surprise.

"I ditched him. He has been rude with me," Cameron said flatly, her face still blank.

"Is he alright?" John asked too quickly, fearing for Morris' health. He regretted immediately his question, as if something dreadful had happened, the party wouldn't have continued. Besides, he thought Riley would find it strange that even upset towards his sister, he didn't ask if _she_ was alright instead. A brother was always supposed to protect his sister against indelicate boys. He was relieved that Riley didn't seem to notice. But before he could change his question, Cameron answered.

"Just a sore cheek," she said with a small grin. "He tried to touch my ass."

John relented a bit and he took the occasion Cameron involuntarily gave him to correct his position.

"He did what? I'm going to kill him! Cam, are you alright?" It was effectively the right question to ask in relation to their cover, but he soon found himself really wanting to know the answer. He'd promised himself to follow her development and tonight was a true test. He surely wanted to be with Riley, but he felt a bit guilty for not following Cameron's progress. He hoped that she would catch it and enter his game.

But Cameron was confused. Her infiltration routines informed her it was the most appropriate thing for him to say and according to the situation, it was illogical John would ask her about her well being. Despite the odds, she wondered if John was really concerned. She hoped he was so she decided to reply frankly. "I was upset he did. But I'm okay now, thanks for asking," she said with that trademark ghost of a smile, making it impossible for John to determine her actual train of thoughts.

Unbeknownst to the fake siblings, Riley rolled her eyes.

John's brows knitted. He couldn't tell if Cameron was acting for their cover's sake or if she really was upset. However, he concluded that it didn't change what she did to Riley.

The situation was becoming a bit too awkward for him between Riley and Cameron. He was torn between his desire to stay with the nice blonde girl who seemed to appreciate him and his confused budding feelings for the cyborg he still refused to admit. But upset by Cameron's fault and pushed by his hormones, he dismissed Cameron. "Okay. Now leave us alone," John told her. Besides, he thought it would be suspicious to keep Cameron nearby in the current circumstances as well.

"What shall I do now?" Cameron asked like if she was probing him.

"You're a big girl, you don't need me to tell you what to do," John cryptically answered. This might accurately sound a bit rude in Riley's presence, but he hoped Cameron would get it as an encouragement to experiment.

But Cameron wasn't in the mood to experiment. She was on a mission to save John and get him back to her, even against his will.

_No you don't_, she thought, _and I hope I'm right because if I don't…_ She stopped as she was confused about what was the most annoying to her, failing her protection mission or losing John's confidence forever.

Riley inwardly smirked. She initially didn't know if it had been a good idea to tell John about her encounter with Cameron, but to her credit, she hadn't been quite able to hide the panic she felt. Now the machine's plan seemed to backfire on itself as she managed not to give anything away. She thought that at this point, she was close to a full success, winning John over the machine. She was sure John's concern for his 'sister' was fake for their cover's sake. Maybe in a couple days she could even pretend Cameron hassled her again, John wouldn't even listen to the machine's explanations, sealing her victory for good.

Cameron turned and headed towards the entrance, taking away the mysterious object. Even if the confrontation was part of her plan and that thanks to her infiltration protocols she didn't appear to back off, she didn't feel pleased and reassured at all. Having an argument with him was something she never liked.

She went outside the ballroom and the building and headed towards a spot where nobody could see her. She took a look at the object she'd stolen a minute ago. It was Riley's purse. She'd faced John's anger just to be able to get it and therefore, now she hoped her salvation would really be inside. Without further delay, she went through it and found some items.

A credit card. She casually dropped it to the ground, hoping that somebody would find and use it.

A red lipstick. She threw it away. A few seconds later, a car's alarm started to blow in the parking lot.

A condom. Cameron smirked. It only confirmed what she'd suspected in the limo. _Yes, Sarah would definitely say she's a whore_.

_At last__!_

Riley's cell phone. Cameron could at last verify her hypothesis. She browsed the contacts directory. Foster parents, social services, school, some friends and then… 'Jesse'.

She hit the recall button and waited.

"Yeah?"

Cameron mimicked Riley's voice. "Jesse Flores?"

"Damn Riley, I told you never to call me by my name. What's wrong? You seem… Oh shit!" Jesse immediately hung up, realizing she'd been tricked by the machine and therefore unmasked. Unfortunately for her, it was too late as Cameron could snatch the information she needed. Her lips curled up into a hint of a smile in satisfaction. However she wasn't quite sure about what she was most satisfied with, mirroring her previous fears: Finding out about the plan and assuring her protection mission or eliminating Riley and having the possibility to get closer to John. She made a mental note to analyze these different options later.

Cameron sighed. Although she now had all the cards in hand, she still felt uneasy. She was soon going to unmask Riley, but she didn't know how John would react. Or more exactly she perfectly knew how he would react at first. She had no idea how the events would go on after she'd explained what she knew about the plan. She found this certainly far more difficult to handle than the issue of a battle against another terminator. Yes, the fact was, she dreaded facing John more than a terminator and she was confused about it.

On her way back to the ballroom, she went along the parking lot and spotted their SUV.

###

Derek's Tequila bottle didn't live long. The bottle that now lay on the table was empty since long ago and so were the canvas chairs. Upon Sarah's insistence, they returned into the living room and started dancing when the music turned softer.

Derek had his arms around her waist while she was resting hers on his shoulders. They were slowly moving almost in accordance to the music rhythm. Their current condition wouldn't allow them to handle anything faster.

Sarah had seldom been physically so close to Derek and that'd been in the heat of the action. During more quiet moments, she'd always kept a certain distance with him, as she didn't quite appreciate his manners, or more exactly his lack of manners. But tonight was different. She didn't know if it was the effects of alcohol or Derek himself, but she noticed he was holding her with care, like if he wanted not to get into her personal circle without her agreement.

This demeanor reminded her of someone but her fuzzy brain didn't immediately put a finger on it. _Wait, not so many men have been so close to me… Kyle!_ Sarah recognized some of Kyle's mannerisms in Derek's. Blood is thicker than water, the proverb had never been so true, she thought. She felt she was into friendly arms and she did something she very scarcely allowed herself to do: she relaxed and let her guard down, relishing the benefits of the self-indulgence. She let her head softly resting on his shoulder.

When Sarah had asked him moments ago to have a dance with him, he initially declined, pretending he didn't know.

"C'mon Reese," Sarah pleaded, "I'm sure you had parties before J-Day and I'm sure you were no wallflower. Don't be shy, we're alone, there's no one to laugh at our clumsiness."

She was right, but it had rather been Sarah's soft mood and apparently genuine desire to dance that eventually convinced him. So he gently snaked his arms around her and made his best no to make Sarah uncomfortable and be a gentleman to her. Sure it was harder due to all the alcohol he'd gulped down, but it was also what precisely allowed him to do it. If he'd been sober, he would have probably felt much more embarrassed and awkward.

He felt Sarah gradually relaxing and eventually resting her head onto his shoulder. He realized she let go all of her defenses and he could glimpse a very sensible and vulnerable Sarah. He focused on her, gently moving in unison with her and the music. There wasn't anything left in their small world.

But in reality, there actually was. Derek stumbled over the couch which hadn't been put away properly. In her initial mood, Sarah didn't have time to prevent him from falling back and he hit the back of his head against the corner of the table. He screamed in pain.

Sarah hurried to help him get up and sit on the couch. Derek passed his hand on the back of his head and looked at it. There was blood on his fingers.

"Shit," Derek growled.

"Stay there," Sarah said, hastily heading towards the kitchen to fetch the first aid kit. "I'm gonna fix that." She got back with the small white suit case with a red cross on it.

"Take a look down there," he vaguely indicated with his hand waving.

She sat on the couch's armrest to be more comfortable to examine Derek's head. She took absorbent cotton, poured some disinfectant on it and undertook examining Derek's wound. She moved Derek's hair apart and stopped.

"What? This scratch?" Sarah called.

"Come on, it hurts like hell," Derek replied.

Sarah sighed and tended to the wound. Every time she tapped the cut with the cotton, Derek let out a small cry of pain. "Ow! Ow! Careful!" he complained.

"You poor little boy," Sarah said while finishing. She soon inspected farther.

"Oh, is that a knife cut scar?"

"Yeah, I got it the day we attacked Century camp. A triple 8 nearly chopped my head in two," Derek told.

"Really? I've got one nice cut scar too," Sarah said joyfully. She removed the right strap of her dress and turn to show him the back of her shoulder, crossed by a 3-inch vertical strait scar. "That bastard liquid terminator did this to me when I escaped from Pescadero. It stabbed randomly through the elevator's ceiling."

Derek passed his finger over the scar. "Pretty! You've been lucky to get through. But a cut is not worth a bullet wound. Look." He opened his shirt and showed her the scar in the middle of his chest from the bullet he received just after they rescued him. "22. Almost got me, you know that."

"Yeah, I remember. I see it left quite a nice mark," Sarah appreciated. "Okay. I have a bullet hole in stock too," she retaliated. She rode her dress up to the top of her left thigh. On the inner side of her leg was the mark of her visit to Desert Heat & Air.

"I don't know if reckless injuries count," Derek said, his gaze leaving the mark to linger over the rest of Sarah's tonic thigh.

Sarah knocked Derek on his shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You're the reckless one. Stop checking out my legs," Sarah scolded him in a frown. However, he didn't fail to notice that Sarah did not put back her dress in place afterwards.

"Hey, I wasn't…" Derek started before realizing he'd been as much discreet as a wart on the nose when he did, so it was useless to argue. He rapidly resumed their little game, hoping she would let it go. "Anyway, you can't have one like this," he said. He removed his shirt and turned to let Sarah see a large burn on the lower left side of his back.

"Woah! What is it? A burn?" Sarah inquired.

"From a plasma rifle shot, yes," he confirmed.

Sarah couldn't help but touch and feel how rough and uneven his skin had become under the fire of an arm that didn't exist yet. She briefly remembered the tales of battles Kyle told her so many years ago, while Derek explained, "I got this shot during the Serrano Point battle, but damn, we had to do it."

Sarah was surely impressed by Derek's war wounds, but she was determined not to let him win their ridiculous teenage-like contest. "Remember, you're not the only one to get battered by machines! Check this out." She removed the other strap of her dress and lowered a bit her dress just over her breast, revealing a perfectly round mark.

"Another bullet?" Derek asked.

"Nope! T-1000 again. It changed his finger into a blade and pierced through my shoulder." She briefly turned to show a similar but slightly smaller mark in her back.

"Ugh! That's gotta hurt," he said while he gently brushed the scar with his fingers. He realized how much she'd suffered over the years. "That's gotta hurt," he repeated much softer, almost in a whisper. Never breaking contact with her soft skin, he brought his hand up behind her neck and started pulling her slowly, intently staring at her. Alcohol, closeness, admiration, he lost control of himself.

Sarah noticed Derek's change. She saw the same mix of determination and kindness into Derek's eyes as she did in Kyle's, yet they were different. His touch was soft, relaxing. Alcohol, closeness, admiration, she didn't resist Derek's gentle pull, although perfectly aware of what he was up to.

Their lips made contact into a small, gentle kiss, almost a mutual assessment, more a promise for later.

Sarah broke the kiss. "No shenanigans," she whispered, looking down for a moment. Just when Derek started to feel uncomfortable, Sarah suddenly straddled his lap, cupped his face with her hands and forcefully kissed him. He reciprocated and they let themselves fall on the couch in a passionate embrace.

The sexual tension was palpable. Soon, they started making their way up to Sarah's room, never stopping exploring their bodies and kissing, leaving bits and pieces of their clothes all the way up.

###

Since Cameron had left them, John and Riley had danced for a moment, striving to forget the unhappy event, and eventually returned to the buffet. John offered Riley a glass of orange juice.

"Riley, do you feel better now?" he asked with concern.

"Yes John, I'm alright now, thanks to you. I don't know why your sister hates me so much."

"She's very protective over me," John explained. "That doesn't give her the right to behave like she did anyway. I'm upset with her," he then let out.

_Excellent__!_

"Let's forget about her now." Riley quickly changed the subject. She suddenly reached and hugged him, her head resting on his left shoulder, close to his heart. "John, I feel good when I'm in your arms. It's like nothing can happen to me."

John spread his arms in surprise when she hugged him, but he soon hugged her back, gently resting his hands in the small of her back. They remained silent, locked in a tender embrace for a long moment, until he felt something soaking his shirt. He looked over to find tears dripping from Riley's eyes.

"Hey! It's over. You're with me. Let's forget it happened," John softly said in order to comfort her.

"I know." Riley just responded between two sobs. She couldn't bear it any longer so she broke down a little. Her tears were real, as well as the sensation of security in John's arms. She was suffering the aftermath of her dreadful encounter with the machine, she was almost sure it would have killed her, would have they not been disturbed by someone. She found comfort in the idea that the machine couldn't attempt anything as long as she would be in John's company.

John tried to remain comforting to Riley. He could easily imagine how scary Cameron could have been to Riley. Therefore, it was logical that she'd broken down… and that he had to comfort her. For some strange reason, however, he thought about Cameron again. Not about their quarrel, he considered it would take him time to forget, assuming he would one day. No, he oddly thought about Cameron's strong and blank side. She never was, or at least seemed to look out of control, in need to be comforted. This was one of the traits in her personality she lacked, one that had always prevented him to get closer to her. Boys always appreciate girls' vulnerable side and he believed girls always appreciate when boys comfort them and John was no exception.

Riley looked up and locked eyes with John. She brought her arm behind his neck and slowly pulled his head down as she was closing the distance between their faces and parted her lips in anticipation of the kiss, one that should have the taste of victory.

Their lips were only millimeters away when suddenly Riley felt a strong grip over her free arm. Before the two teenagers could understand what was happening, Riley found herself forcefully dragged back and in the confusion, she couldn't figure out who was pulling her.

John was snapped to reality when he heard Riley's cry of surprise and felt her arm that was around his neck quickly go away. It took him just a moment to realize that his 'sister' was rudely dragging his girlfriend-to-be away from him.

"Hey?" he cried.

Riley was complaining, barely keeping her balance as Cameron was still pulling her away.

"Cameron, stop that!" John shouted with more conviction and anger.

But Cameron wasn't listening, or more precisely making her best efforts not to. She adamantly kept leading Riley out the room. The scene was unreal. A girl was unceremoniously and effortlessly hauled by another girl who looked smaller, with an upset bellowing boy in their wake trying to catch up. Everybody looked at them until they all got out of the room.

Becky Taylor didn't see who was responsible for that mess, but she bet that it was Cameron Baum again.

Cameron only stopped when she made sure she found an isolated spot. She chose a storeroom distant enough from the ballroom, as she didn't know how the events would turn from this point. She tossed Riley to the far end of the room who lost her balance and almost crashed into the crates that were stored there. Then Cameron stood in the door's frame in a terminator-like steady posture, arms alongside her body and legs slightly spread and remained still, her death stare put on to complete the picture.

Just moments later, John arrived in the storeroom too and directly threw himself at Cameron in utter anger. "Why did you do that? Why do you hound her? What's wrong with you?" he yelled, drumming on Cameron's upper chest.

Cameron didn't prevent him from hitting her. She knew that at this point, it was useless to stop him and beside, he wasn't in a position to make her any damage. She didn't move at all and kept her perfectly blank expression all during the time he struck her. However as much as she expected John to do it and prepared herself for it, she found the experience extremely unpleasant.

Riley slowly collected her wits and realized that her nightmare had just resumed. Only John could save her now, she looked at him still hitting the machine.

John was beside himself. However, he quickly realized it was useless to hit Cameron, as she hadn't moved from a millimeter since he'd started and his fists were starting to be sore. He began to worry if she had gone haywire again but wondered why she wouldn't retaliate.

"What's wrong with you?" he ranted at her. He was close to losing it. "Tell me, or I'll take your chip out of that metal skull of yours and I'll destroy it myself!" he blurted out, pointing a menacing finger at her. Then he realized what he'd just said and in the presence of whom. He froze and put his hand before his mouth. He turned to look over Riley, but she didn't seem to be very surprised or feel concerned by what had just been said.

He turned back to Cameron, a puzzled look on his face. He was lost, he had no clue why his blunder had no apparent consequences. He didn't have the slightest idea of what was going on.

_Is __this a nightmare or what?_

"It doesn't matter John," Cameron started. "She already knows what I am."

"What? How?" John asked in shock.

"She's from the future," Cameron deadpanned.

END OF CHAPTER


	6. Chapter 6: Save The Last Dance For Me

**THE PROM**

**Author: Nyrki**

**Chapter ****6: Save the Last Dance for Me**

Many thanks to my reviewers: PSG1JOHN, EvilTheLast, olischulu, The1Russter, CloudyShadows, Zapp86, sumofme, lee443, XxDeathStarxX, KevinInScotland, Sedgie, TCandBTLSluver, Lsquare, kaotic2, Burnout'83, darkfinder and Velhu. I'm glad my story became a bit popular.

I told this was a Jameron story. So prepare to it now as it is the conclusion of this little story. Thank you for all the persons who took the time to read it. I really hope you all spent a good moment to read it.

No more talks, and let's see what happened between John and Cameron at the conclusion of their first prom.

* * *

Recap: Thanks to an unexpected as well as unintentional help from a nice girl named Cara, Cameron brewed a plan to finally find out about Riley's intentions. She stole Riley's cell phone into which she found Jesse Flores' record. She got her suspicion confirmed by calling and fooling Jesse by imitating Riley's voice. Determined to save John, she returned to the couple and rudely dragged Riley into a storeroom and unmasked her in front of a very upset John.

**

* * *

D-Day, Friday ****11:02pm**

"She's from the future," Cameron said flatly.

"What?"

Riley wondered if Cameron was bluffing or if she had truly discovered something. Taking the risk to involve John could mean she knew something. _But how would she?_

"How do you know that?" John asked, trying to calm down but still keeping a menacing look on Cameron. He considered she was probably not bluffing, because it wasn't her usual ways and he knew she was conscious that she was playing a dangerous game.

Cameron reached out and placed Riley's cell phone into his hand.

"What's that?" John asked, surprised again.

"Riley's cell phone," Cameron answered matter-of-factly.

Riley immediately looked for her purse and realized it was missing. Cameron was perhaps effectively in possession of her cell.

"You bitch. Give me back my cell. You don't have the right…"

John motioned her to stay still. "So what?" he asked, looking Cameron back.

"One of her contacts is a certain 'Jesse'. I called the contact and imitated Riley's voice. I confirmed the contact is in fact Jesse Flores."

Riley winced.

"Who is this Jesse Flores and why were you looking for her?" John continued.

"Commander Jesse Flores, nationality Australian, second officer on submarine Jimmy Carter in 2027. Brought before the martial court for rebellion and loss of the ship, including its T-888 pilot and leading officer. She was still imprisoned when I came back." Cameron recited.

John prompted her to continue, still not seeing any clear relation between Riley and the future. "And?"

"I heard the unknown expression 'carrots and apples' Riley used in the limousine only once before, from Jesse Flores. So I surmised that they might be related. The phone contact list eventually proved me right. I think they traveled back together from the future shortly after you, future you, sent me back in time, in the goal to harm you. The reason is still unknown to me."

John couldn't believe what Cameron had just said. He remembered pointing himself out that he didn't know about this expression. He turned towards Riley with a 'tell me that's not true' look on his face, even if deep down, he already knew the answer.

"She lies," Riley defended herself with a look of fear that wasn't fake. "I don't understand a word of this crap. John, please send her away."

John tried to control his anger and think logically. Cameron's theory was almost unbelievable, but as she didn't seem to go haywire again, he was pretty sure she wasn't lying. It would be too much of a story, just to get rid of a girl whom she would ridiculously be jealous of.

"Are you quite sure it was this… Jesse Flores?"

"98.2% certainty, thanks to the Australian accent," Cameron declared.

John turned back to Riley. "Riley, if what Cameron says is true, you'd better own up now."

"John, I swear, I don't understand," Riley managed to say between sobs.

"Riley!"

At that point, Riley realized that she couldn't play this game anymore. She decided to be frank with John, she hoped that maybe he could understand the situation. His relation with the machine wasn't at its best, and maybe a couple of good arguments could convince him. Her expression changed from fear to determination. She locked eyes with John.

"I'm here to save you John. I came back from the future to save you from the machine," she conceded, peering over at Cameron.

John gasped to hear Riley referring to Cameron as a machine for the first time. "Why would I need to be saved from her?"

Riley remained silent.

"I can make her tell if you wish," Cameron chimed in.

John beckoned her with his hand to hold on. Cameron complied despite her desire to make Riley confess everything.

"Riley please, the whole story or I won't prevent Cameron from…"

"Right, John! Cameron!" Riley snapped. "You gave _it_ a name. But this is not a person. It's a machine, John, and it's manipulating you so you rely solely on it and not on humans anymore. In the future, you don't speak or see anyone but the machine. When it turns against you, SkyNet will win. Can't you see that John?" she contemptuously threw.

In a fluid swift motion, Cameron came up to Riley and grabbed her by her neck in an attempt to stop her reasoning. "That won't happen. I'm loyal to John," she said.

Riley choked, mostly in surprise. But Cameron controlled the strength of her grip so that Riley could continue to breathe. However, Riley started to panic, thinking she was only a few minutes away from her death. Terminators are built to do only one thing which they do emotionlessly and efficiently: kill people. However, at the verge of her death, Riley continued to glare at the machine defiantly.

"You think that's enough? You think John will believe you on parole? No machine can be trusted. John never told me you were a machine, but he told me he didn't trust you," she blurted.

John flinched. He remembered telling Riley about it, at a recent time when he wanted to escape his fate. He hoped it wouldn't affect Cameron, so he looked over her and was relieved for once to see her blank expression. John considered that he knew most of what he considered to be the truth at that point. But there was always this slight doubt about Cameron's motives since she'd reverted, so he decided to let her handle the interrogation. For now…

Cameron didn't show it, but Riley's statement had disturbed her more than she could admit. _John doesn't trust me anymore?_ To her, Riley's affirmation was only a confirmation of John's recent behavior, despite these last two days during which he seemed to relent. She wondered why it affected her so much.

"I would die for him," she declared with conviction, maybe more to convince herself than Riley.

"You cannot die, only people die. You can only be destroyed. Or better yet, go dismantle yourself," Riley retorted. Her face was red.

"John still needs me to protect him and help him defeat SkyNet," Cameron reminded.

"Riley, was everything… fake between us?" John chimed in. He desperately wanted to know.

"No, not everything," Riley said. "The encounter was arranged alright, but I really fell in love with you. How can you turn that down? The machine will never be able to give you what I did."

Cameron left hand twitched at this statement. She tightened her grip and effortlessly lifted Riley off the ground. "You're a threat. I can't let you live."

"Cameron!" John intervened. "Don't!"

"Go on, kill me. Others will come after me." Riley spat, wheezing. She was trying to be brave, but the voice was a bit shaky and tears started to drip down her cheeks. She knew that with her fate in the hands of an angry machine, she only had seconds left to live and that scared her. She thought with irony that she managed to escape from the deadly future only to get killed by a terminator.

"She's a real threat John, we cannot let her live," Cameron explained as she looked over to John.

John knew Cameron was right in absolute terms, but he wasn't ready to see yet another person dying in the name of his fate, especially Riley from whom he was so close just moments ago even if she had betrayed him.

"Cameron, let her go," John calmly said.

Cameron looked at John in lack of understanding. "But…"

John knew he could order Cameron to let Riley go and that she would comply without hesitation, but probably without understanding why either. Terminators were not programmed to show mercy. He decided to explain Cameron his point of view and eventually to let her choose Riley's fate, hoping she would understand and stick to his explanation. Whatever her decision, there were much to lose for him, either his own safety or his respect for Cameron. Even if it would probably bring him more trouble, he deeply preferred the first option.

"Cameron, _please_ let her go," John begged Cameron. "I'm tired of seeing people dying for me. Now I'm informed about this new threat now and I'll get prepared to it… with your help. We'll track and find this Jesse Flores. Now I let the decision in your hands, but I would like you to let her go."

Riley considered at this point she had no more hope because she had no doubt what the cold and soulless machine's decision would be.

Cameron's mission directives were clear: Protect John and eliminate all threats, a mission that future John had given her. Now his younger self was asking her to go against this directive, in other words to make the conscious choice to break free from her programming to a certain extent. This was an extremely difficult decision for her to make, as she realized there was no good or bad decision, just a decision to take in regard to her own values. She processed the quandary for a moment that seemed like forever for the three of them.

John held his breath, Riley could barely do so and Cameron, well, she never needed to.

Cameron's eyes flashed blue when she made her decision. She released her grip and Riley slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"Is she…?" John asked, concerned.

"No, she has just passed out. She will recover in a minute or two, without any aftereffect apart from a bruise," Cameron flatly stated. Despite having chosen to follow John's advice, she felt no relief or satisfaction.

John slightly sighed in relief. _Thank you, Cameron_.

Cameron took John's hand and motioned him to leave the storeroom. "We have to go, now!" she commanded.

"Why should we leave?" John inquired.

"Jesse Flores might come to seek Riley or worse, to finish the mission and try to destroy me," Cameron explained.

"No! I don't want to lose you!" John's unexpected emotional response came so fast he had no time to control it.

Cameron froze and looked at John in surprise but had no time to say or do anything as they bumped into a stunned Morris at the moment they left the storeroom. His eyes were glassy and his body attitude let no doubt he was drunk but he was peering at the couple in front of him in shock.

John and Cameron immediately realized he'd witnessed the scene with Riley. But for how long? John looked at Cameron whose face was only expressing disbelief. She couldn't understand how she never detected him. She felt guilty for not scanning the area the whole time and discovered she was too engrossed in her hate of Riley and concern to lose John to just acknowledge her tactical systems' prompt to.

"Why did your sister treat your girlfriend like this?" Morris asked.

"Riley is not my girlfriend anymore," John stated.

"Right," Morris said with an embittered smile, looking at Cameron's and John's still joined hands. That was the right subject to make him angry and he threw himself into. "What's going on with you two? Cameron is so jealous when you're with your girlfriend. I can't believe what she did to Riley," he continued.

"Morris, we…"John started but he was cut off by Morris.

"And how could she just lift Riley off her feet anyway?" he asked just as if it just popped out of his mind.

"I work out every day," Cameron lightly stated with an innocent fake smile on her face. It has worked with Eric at the library, so she thought it could work with a drunken Morris too.

John tried to make use of Morris' state to try to get out of the delicate situation. "You're drunk Morris, she's just pushed her, I mean look at her, how could she do that?" he said convincingly.

But it didn't work. "I know what I saw, I just can't explain it," Morris retorted. However, his mind was still fuzzy with alcohol and he couldn't decide what was the most disturbing to him between Cameron's extraordinary display of strength or the weird relation between her and John. He knew that John wouldn't tell him anything more and he thought the latter would be the start of an explanation as well was a way to eliminate his frustration about Cameron.

"And you," he pointed a finger at John. "I see how you look at her sometimes. Brothers don't look at their sisters like this."

Morris' speech was surprisingly coherent for a drunken person, but his disappointment about Cameron's denial to be with him and the anger to see her and John being so close was too strong.

"I don't want to lose you!" Morris repeated ironically, mimicking John's earlier statement and expression. "And Cameron acts like there's only you in her world. I'm starting to wonder if you're really brother and sister," he continued. The Connor family has always been weird and mysterious to him and he was starting to suspect something, although without figuring out what.

"You're talking absolute nonsense Morris. You better go back home and rest," John advised him.

But Morris stared at John and persisted. "Who are you?"

John realized there was no point trying to reason with him anymore. "Morris, I think you better forget what you've just seen, for your own good," he told him a bit menacingly, now upset at the realization of a new potential problem.

On her side, Cameron was torn again. Morris was suspecting something and her logic was telling her she should terminate him right away. But she had learned a lesson just moments ago and she decided not to do anything. She wasn't pleased about this new problem however and felt annoyed it was mostly her fault again. In addition to her neglecting to scan the area during Riley's interrogation, she wondered if these new feelings she was confusedly going through were not starting to make her making mistakes.

John and Morris stared at each other for a moment until a slight moan came from the storeroom, as Riley was regaining consciousness. This broke the heavy tension and recalled Cameron of the urgency to leave. She considered that they had lost too much time in the discussion. She strengthened her grip on John's hand forcefully took him away, leaving Morris with his frustration and unanswered questions.

Morris ventured towards the storeroom's entrance, only to find Riley holding her throat and trying to get up with difficulty. He rushed towards her to help her on her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"I don't know," Riley answered with a harsh voice. At the moment, she was just wondering why she was still alive.

Reassured about Riley's health, Morris looked at the corridor into the direction John and Cameron just left. _Who are they?_ he mentally repeated his question.

###

Dragged along towards the exit by Cameron, John tried to fathom her thoughts, but her face was totally blank so he just couldn't interpret anything.

Cameron lead him through the halls and then towards the school parking lot, directly to their SUV's exact location.

"How did you know?" John asked with eyes wide in surprise.

"I overheard Sarah telling you she would bring the SUV for us and I pinpointed it earlier. I know you have the spare keys. Let's go." Cameron answered. "I take shotgun," she added with a ghost of a smile while taking the passenger's seat.

John marveled at how Cameron never let anything to chance when it comes to his security.

The car shot off and rapidly disappeared into the night. The atmosphere in the car was silent and tense. John was almost constantly gritting his teeth and shaking his head, keeping his eyes on the road, never to look over at Cameron.

Cameron didn't look more relaxed. She sat still with her hands on her lap, her stare rooted on the road as well, she never let go of her blank expression. However, she was deeply thinking, wondering about John's current train of thoughts.

_I've thwarted Jesse Flores and Riley's plan. __All serious threat is warded off for now, beside Morris. I've saved John's live, but at what cost? I've probably lost him_.

###

John and Cameron had been driving for a few minutes since leaving the parking lot, during that time neither of them had spoken a word. The only sound in the passenger compartment was coming from the radio which was softly playing some old hits.

John was upset. He had to constantly persuade himself he wasn't dreaming. Not only there was this new problem with Morris, but every time he wanted to forget about his fate, it always managed to come back in a very dramatic way and today was a brilliant demonstration. He couldn't believe that Riley had come from the future and been part of a conspiracy against him. He was so sure she was a normal girl in the company of whom he could have forgotten his glorious fate, be it for a short moment. How cruel, it was precisely her who abruptly reminded him. He realized Cameron had been right from the start, as she always was when it came to his safety.

_How could I have been so blind?_

What deeply annoyed him too was that humans actually plotted – will plot – against him. If fighting against SkyNet wasn't hard enough, he had to cope with internal disagreements as well. He knew he couldn't rally everybody to his point of view and that a leader always had to take controversial decisions at one point, but that wasn't good news for his future leadership. On top of that, the motive of the rebellion was unsettling. His future self apparently didn't trust anybody else but Cameron.

_How could it happen? __What type of relation did future me have with Cameron?_

He briefly looked over Cameron but averted his eyes almost immediately when he saw her turning her head to look at him too.

He remembered she told him she knew that 'being John Connor can be lonely' and that they've 'talked a lot about it together'. She hadn't told him much about the future and he didn't want her to, but tonight's events unveiled some information about his future self that seemed to corroborate the little Cameron had previously told him.

_Cameron seemed to be close to future me. How __much close? To what extent did I trust her?_

He knew Cameron received the prime directive from future him to protect him and that she would willingly offer her life to fulfill it, but he always had this irking doubt about her loyalty that prevented him to fully trust her. Riley had involuntarily brought him the external and objective point of view he needed to make up his mind about Cameron.

In the light of recent developments, John reconsidered Cameron's extraordinary devotion to him. Okay, she had programmed mission directives. Okay, she was a cyborg who never tires to fulfill its mission, but he felt there was something more in Cameron's commitment, something that allowed her to achieve unbelievable things his previous mechanical protectors couldn't. She'd taken a huge risk tonight to save him against his own will. What a lesson of humility she taught him! He thought he was the superior intelligence, but her artificial one actually showed more insight, courage and perseverance than his. Knowing her directive to follow his orders, he knew how much uncomfortable it must have been for her. He realized he could fully trust her and he felt ashamed that he didn't sooner. A tear dripped from his right eye he hastened to wipe with the back of his hand. He hoped he did before Cameron could see it.

On her side, Cameron looked quiet in the passenger seat. However, the calm façade was just hiding the turmoil in her head. John glanced at her and she turned her head in his direction, but he immediately averted his stare. To her great regret, he didn't look like he wanted to talk with her about tonight's events.

So she tried to analyze on her own the contradiction between the fact she finally successfully thwarted the twisty plot against John and the fact she felt no satisfaction for this achievement. In actual fact, it was quite the opposite, the reason of the dissatisfaction being, she had to take action against John's will, even if it was for his own good. She'd decided since long she preferred protecting him at all costs, including against his will, than taking the risk to see him injured or worse, killed. But at the current moment, if she had been human, she would have cursed fate to be so cruel with her. Instead, the cyborg merely found that the events did not turn the way she hoped. Yet, the result was the same. John looked upset with her even if he finally understood what happened. She didn't fail to notice his closed attitude since they left. She felt desperately uncomfortable, as once again she didn't know what to do.

Cameron turned to John again and briefly saw a tear down his cheek just before he wiped it away. She turned her head back on the road, pretending she didn't notice it and stayed silent. She didn't dare to disturb him. The unpleasant sensation grew. For Cameron, it was a confirmation of her current thoughts. Not only was John upset, he was sad too. Sad, most likely because he'd lost Riley as well as his dreams of normalcy and it was all her fault. She'd done the right thing for his safety, what he would surely understand, but he would perhaps never forgive her. This is why she thought she had perhaps lost him. In such a case, she would continue to be his protector. Her mission would be safe, but she confusedly felt she would have much more to lose.

It was clearly a disillusion for her. Why trying to get closer to John if it hurts so much?

_Hurt?__ Why should it hurt me as soon as the mission is fulfilled?_

She'd experienced unpleasant sensations before, when John scolded her or when he was with Riley, but what she was currently feeling was so strong and unexpected. She remembered she'd felt a similar sensation only once before, a long time ago. The memory flashed on her HUD.

###

**General Connor's private quarters, Crystal Peak, 2027**

_Cameron__ knocked at the heavy metal door flanked by two impressive T-800 'Uncle Bob' terminators._

"_Come in,__" came the muffled voice from inside._

_Cameron entered and gently closed the door behind her, came in front of a seated General Connor and stayed up, her hands clasped in her back. "You asked to see me, John?"_

"_Yes Cameron. Please have a seat," he motioned her._

_Cameron complied__ and neatly placed her hands in her lap. She waited for John to speak, but he seemed to search for the right words, which was unusual. He looked like he was in a dither. "What's wrong John?" she asked, a slight look of worry on her face._

"_Cameron, I have to entrust you with an important mission," he finally let go, like he was announcing bad news._

"_I'm ready John. What is it?"__ she inquired._

_He sighed. __"We've gathered intel that reports SkyNet has used its TDE a few hours ago. It's highly likely that it has sent another terminator in the past to kill me. We only have a rough idea about when. It's in 1999."_

_Cameron immediately made the connection and understood what John had in mind. "Do you want to send me back in time?" she asked._

"…_to protect my younger self, yes" he completed. "Considering the little information we have, this will be a very difficult mission and I think you're the only person who can fulfill it." _

"_But John__, who will ensure your safety if I'm gone?" Cameron argued, the feeling of worry growing._

"_Nobody __can do it better than you did during these last few months Cameron," he said with a slight smile of gratitude. "But you have to understand that if I'm killed in the past, there will be nobody left for you to protect in the present," he explained._

_Cameron perfectly understood the logic of John's reasoning. However, she couldn't resign herself to the idea of leaving John unprotected. "John please, I don't want to go, I want to stay with you," she blurted out, not quite sure why she expressed her feelings this way._

_John couldn't quite prevent himself from gaping at Cameron's unexpected burst of emotion__, but he knew he had to dismiss her plea. So he looked away and simply replied, "Go and prepare yourself. You'll leave this evening."_

_Cameron tentatively reached and touched his arm__ in a desperate act to understand. She didn't consciously ask for them, but her systems displayed John's vitals on her HUD. His blood pressure was high. He was agitated. He was upset. John entrusts me with an important mission but he doesn't want me to stay with him anymore, she thought. Why is he upset with me? Did I do something wrong? Why wouldn't he tell me?_

"_John?" she ventured._

"_Please Cameron… __go. We'll meet at 21:00 in the TDE room," John said tersely again. Cameron noticed that his speech was determined but his body language was contradictory. She had no clue why though so she had to resign herself._

"_Okay John, 21:00 in the TDE room," she acknowledged, while lowering her eyes to avert his gaze, she then turned and left the room without an answer to her questions and an unpleasant feeling of rejection. She closed the door as gently as when she entered. When she did, she glanced over before it fully closed and noticed that John remained seated and never looked up at her._

_But __John couldn't reconcile himself to watching her leaving. His will was dangerously faltering. He feared that if he looked at her now, he would rush to hug her, kiss her, never ever to let her go. After the door closed, he leaned back and let out a frustrated sigh. He began to mull over what had just been said and done between him and Cameron._

_John had seen intensity in her eyes he never had before. He could read a complete flood of untold feelings that surprised him, as she was seldom displaying them so blatantly. His heart clenched as he recalled all the nights spent with her discussing, marveling at her intelligence for tactics but also at her innocence, the small things of life she learned and the satisfaction he felt at teaching her those things, at the pleasant surprise of her so rare laughs. On the eve of losing her, he realized how important for him she'd become. At this point, he was not thinking about her tactical skills. He gritted his teeth and slammed the table with his fist. Tears slipped from his eyes._

_Oh Cam, if you knew how much I want you to stay… If you can really feel, will you forgive me one day?_

###

Cameron recalled she didn't understand then why she had reacted like this. She'd thought she was defective and had launched a full system check that predictably revealed no malfunction.

She had called this memory because her current feelings were similar, but she noticed how similar John's reaction was too. She remembered that she didn't dare talking with him, the moment was not adequate, the mission was dominant and John had barely had time to give her all the information she needed for the mission before sending her in the past.

But tonight, the situation was different. There wasn't any emergency situation and she wasn't to leave him again. In addition, she had learned much about human's feelings since then, she understood them better. Cameron considered that she wouldn't make the same mistake this time. She had to know and maybe John would accept to help her sort her feelings out.

So after a long moment that looked like eternity for both of them, Cameron broke the heavy silence. "John, please, I don't want to go home now," she softly said.

It snapped John back from his own thoughts. He looked over Cameron. "What? Where do you want to go now? To the safehouse? Look, I don't think the situation…"

"No John, you don't understand me," she cut him off. "I would like you to find an isolated spot. We need to talk. I need to tell you something," Cameron said with a soft but serious tone.

_Wow!__ It seems that maybe tonight's events finally affected her more than she showed. Her blank expression is an efficient way to conceal her feelings._

John nodded. He knew the perfect area from which they weren't too far away. A few minutes later, John stopped the SUV on a slightly woody area on a hill overhanging LA and its city lights. He cut the engine off. During the entire journey, Cameron looked like a statue and John wondered what was on her mind.

John patiently waited for Cameron to speak first. He had no precise idea what she wanted to talk about, although probably related to tonight's events. He didn't want to rush things either, she behaved so… far away from the machine she was. He observed her. It looked like she was admiring the beautiful view. Her eyes were sparkling as much as the city lights.

"I'm sorry John," Cameron finally decided herself, still looking at the view.

"Sorry for what?" John asked, surprised. Cameron apologizing was the last thing he was expecting at the moment.

"About Riley," she clarified.

"About Riley?" he repeated. Cameron apologizing about Riley was the last thing he was expecting, he corrected himself.

"Yes. I understand now what you were looking for while being with her. But I couldn't let you fall into her trap and I shattered your dreams." Only at that moment Cameron dared to look at him. "I had to. I'm sorry for that John."

John's jaw dropped. He had often heard Cameron apologizing, but he'd always doubted her sincerity. For the first time, he knew she really was, the insight of her speech and her attitude were conclusive. As for the reason for her apology, she was regretting that her protection mission had to come into conflict with his desire. It meant she weighted the consequences of her acts, at least which directly concerned him.

He realized how much wrong he had been and how much right she had been. He considered that obviously, it wasn't the right person who was apologizing. He thought it was more than time to reestablish the truth.

"No Cameron, I am sorry," John started, emphasizing on 'I'. "You were right about Riley, I was so blind I didn't believe you. You took a big risk tonight to sort it all out. Thank you," he sincerely apologized.

Cameron tilted her head, processing John's words. "You're not mad at me?" Cameron finally asked, surprised.

"How could I? I'm glad you saved my ass again," he said and favored her with a small reassuring smile.

Cameron realized that John wasn't upset about her, but for having been so gullible, he didn't see anything coming. She felt reassured about her mission. She realized also how John could bottle things up and hide his emotions. She wondered if future John's reaction when she left his room wasn't finally hiding something else than the indifference and rejection she initially considered. _Now I understand you were upset because you had to send me back and not because of me. But why was that John?_

John's explanation greatly alleviated Cameron's strain. "Thank you for understanding me John…"

However, even with John's comprehension, the discomfort of having to offend John slightly remained. There was a topic in connection that directly concerned her she wanted to discuss with him. "… but that is not all," Cameron added.

_What now?_

"I recently experienced the influence of unexpected internal factors that affected my capacity of judgment and therefore my mission," Cameron stated matter-of-factly.

John narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by unexpected internal factors?"

"I don't know. It's like I'm forced to do unwanted things. This is not adequate behavior to carry on my mission," Cameron tried to explain.

"How can you be forced to do something? You're supposed to follow your programming, aren't you?" John asked, maybe a bit too fast.

Cameron felt a bit hurt to be belittled to her sole programming again. However, she responded frankly. "My AI is designed to make use of any kind of input. It's constantly learning to integrate them," she explained.

John bit his lower lip. Of course, she had a learning CPU. Her behavior was its consequence, not its cause. "Sorry Cam, I didn't mean…"

He didn't finish, as a small smile graced Cameron's face in sign of forgiveness. He tried a more constructive approach. "When does that generally happen?" he asked, concerned.

"Most of the time when you are with Riley. John, I don't know what happens to me."

_Okay, got it!_ "Cameron, I think that you are developing emotions and you're naturally integrating them. I don't see anything wrong with that."

"Developing… emotions?" Cameron asked, tilting her head and with a quizzical look on her face.

"Yeah, there are more and more things you like or dislike which feed your emotions. You know, people don't just feel emotions, it affects their behavior too," John explained. "I imagine you didn't like to see us dancing together and it is probably why you've been unnecessary rude."

Cameron felt the unpleasant sensation again at the recollection of the image of them tenderly embraced and her left hand slightly twitched. Fortunately for her, her hands were still resting in her lap, the right hand above the left, so John didn't notice.

_Oh!_ She suddenly realized the relation between the unpleasant fact and her response to it. It was no malfunction, it was _emotion_.

"I understand John, but I think these emotions can only tamper with my assessment routines. I might take inadequate decisions. Maybe we will have to find a way to remove them. I can't afford…"

John flinched. He didn't realize how much this would hurt him until he actually had to face the idea, so he violently let his feelings come through again, like just before they stumbled upon Morris. "No!" he yelled, cutting her. He paused to calm down. "Um, I mean, you can't always make decisions based on sheer logic. Maybe it would be a good thing you consider your feelings as additional stimuli to your routines. I think they could only enrich the quality of your judgment, make it more complete, better."

"Make my judgment better," she repeated. "John, if this is this why I spared Riley's life, then I don't think it was a good decision. The threat remains. If I had killed her…"

_Logic will always play a prominent role in her judgment. __It's up to me now to introduce an emotional dimension now that she understands._

"The value of a decision rarely sizes itself up at the light of its sheer result," he snapped her. "You showed mercy tonight and I'm glad you did. I don't know what exact role Riley had in Jesse Flores' plan but still, she is a nice girl. I will never forgive her, but she surely didn't deserve to die. I don't want people to die for or because of me anymore. Never mind if the threat is still there. We know it, we will face it together."

_Together__,_ she pondered.

"Look, I can't tell you exactly why or how," he resumed, "but I'm sure it'll eventually be a good thing… make you a better person."

_A better person_. Cameron appreciated the term 'person'. It meant John was thinking of her as an equal.

However, she wasn't fully convinced by John's statement, but she decided to trust his judgment on the matter. Emotions seemed to be full natural components of a person, not a curse. She was unsure to why, but John seemed to be concerned that she kept her emotions. She was too, as becoming a person still fascinated her. After all, not all of these 'external factors' were noxious, she wondered about the strong one that drove her towards him she'd experienced since almost the day she met him.

"John, did I spare Riley's life because I wanted you to be satisfied with my action? Does that make me a better person?" she inquired.

"I guess so. But what are you getting at?" John asked, concerned by the fact that the topic seemed to greatly worry her.

"Sometimes, I feel compelled to do things in the only goal you're satisfied with me. Does that mean I'm developing emotions too?" Cameron innocently asked.

John blushed to Cameron's innocent question. _She wanted to please me_. John pretended not to understand, but he was curious about how she felt. "Okay. Carry on."

Cameron took a moment to find her words, showing John how intense her thoughts and her desire to understand were.

"I wanted to keep my promise because you taught me the value of a promise. Then I went through all the preparation so I looked perfect… for you. I tried to live the event as a person… for you," she confessed. "I'm not sure if I succeeded," she added with a sad look.

John was taken by surprise by Cameron's innocence and forthrightness. He didn't know exactly what to answer. "Cam, don't worry, you did well. The circumstances didn't help. Believe me, you were the most beautiful girl tonight."

This wasn't the answer she expected. She struggled to go farther. "I did it all… for you… I feel…" Cameron's voice trailed off. She was lost for words. She frowned and looked down in frustration. She couldn't find the words to express how she felt about John. Fate came to her rescue when the radio started playing the first notes of an old hit she recognized. Suddenly, she got out of the car, walked around and opened the driver's door.

John had no idea what she was up to.

She took John's hand and gently pulled it, prompting him to get out of the car too. John let Cameron guide him a few meters away from the car. She stopped and released his hand then stepped back a little. She stood with her arms alongside her body, her palms open facing John, her head tilted forward, looking down in an unexpected sign of surrender of her emotional fate into his hands. "You promised me," she enigmatically said.

_What did I promise her?_ He couldn't remember. He focused, trying to remember, he didn't want to disappoint her, as he perfectly noticed Cameron's state of mind. _Let's see_. The music, the dress tryout, Cameron's concern for his security, he tried to reassure her, he bargained, so he promised…

"… I would dance with you," he ventured.

"Yes," she confirmed with a so tiny smile, but inwardly she was delighted he didn't forget, despite tonight's events at the party.

"I'll save the last dance for you, Cameron."

John reached and put his hand on Cameron's arm, at elbow's level. He delicately and slowly grazed her forearm's skin down to her hand which he finally took. He came closer and put his other arm around her waist and positioned himself at a distance he wished was comfortable for her. She let him do so and felt something reassuring in her closeness to him. In a sign to show him he was doing the right thing, she came closer so their bodies almost touched and she gently put her free hand on his shoulder. She looked up to John and greeted him with one of those slight but so expressive smiles only she was able to do. He could read gratitude in her eyes.

_Look into my eyes - you will see_

_What you mean to me_

_Search your heart - search your soul_

_And when you find me there you'll search no more_

Cameron rested her head on his shoulder and let her free hand slip to lay flat on his chest. She listened his heart beating. She thought it was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard. As long as she could hear it, she would be pleased. It was beating so fast, he wasn't indifferent to her close presence.

_Look into your heart - you will find_

_There's nothin' there to hide_

_Take me as I am - take my life_

_I would give it all - I would sacrifice_

John was extremely surprised by Cameron's behavior, even after the discussion they've just had. He realized how much she'd grown at the light of her recent demeanor. He considered that her own personality was building up and he thought it was something he had to help her with.

_There's no love - like your love_

_And no other - could give more love_

_There's nowhere - unless you're there_

_All the time - all the way_

Cameron let John guide her. He was the only one she would allow to. She trusted him to the point she could leave her life in his hands. He was her universe, her world that would mean anything without him.

_I would fight for you - I'd lie for you_

_Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you_

_You know it's true_

_Everything I do - I do it for you_

_Did she choose this song on purpose?_ John wondered. _It looks like the perfect song to express…_ John realized the plus in her devotion he couldn't quite fathom, her constant concern to please him, were actually her very own ways to love him. The dance was her unpremeditated way to declare her love which was, although confusedly and cryptically expressed, genuine. He thought there was something deeply human in her move to seek comfort into his arms after being so close to losing him. He realized that no human girl would give him a so deep and undying love. Cameron would always be there for him, she would always protect him, and she would always love him no matter what happens.

John placed his forefinger under her chin and he gently lifted her head. The vision he had stunned him, he was quite sure he would never see it. Tears were falling from Cameron's eyes. She locked eyes with him and stared at him intently. Her brown eyes were sparkling, yelling 'please don't push me away'. She had a distraught face and her makeup was now a mess, but he found she had never been so beautiful.

He placed his hand on her cheek and wiped a stray tear with his thumb, while staring at her with intensity. "I'm so sorry," he simply whispered and he leaned forward, slowly closing the distance between their lips. He kissed her ever so tenderly, so gently it could have been a dream.

Cameron felt like she had an electricity discharge and froze at the exact moment their lips made contact. Soon, her HUD displayed a number of warnings, her systems being overloaded with data pouring from almost all of her body sensors. She shivered in reaction.

After a short moment that seemed like eternity for both of them, he daintily broke contact.

Cameron looked at John with eyes wide open in surprise. She reached and brushed her lips with her forefinger. She'd imagined this moment so often, alternately desiring and dreading it, but the reality was beyond all her expectations. The pleasing sensation it provided spread all over her body and seemed to endure, never to end. Soon, she favored him with a slight but meaningful smile of satisfaction.

Encouraged, John kissed her again. This time, she slightly parted her lips in anticipation and passionately reciprocated the kiss, closing her eyes and placing one hand behind John's head. She didn't want to disappoint him when the day came, so she'd often observed how to kiss from various TV programs or at school. She even experienced it at school with a girl who accepted to teach her. But at this point, she found all this fuss useless, as she realized that kissing someone you have feelings for turned out to be so different and it all came to her naturally. Her tongue soon greedily searched for his.

_Wow. She's learning fast!_ John thought to himself.

It was so good that Cameron could have kissed John forever, but he finally slowly withdrew, regretfully breaking contact with her. She stretched her neck in order to maintain the precious contact as long as she could, so John grazed her lips with his and then rested his forehead on hers.

The sensations were so diverse and intense she wanted to share. "John?" she whispered in his ear.

"Cam, please don't…" he whispered back, placing his finger on her lips.

Cameron understood it wasn't the right time to speak. They would have plenty of time later to talk about it. Now was the time to enjoy a sheer moment of recognition and shared happiness.

John placed his arm around Cameron and clasped his hands in the small of her back in a very protective position. In reply, she clasped her own hands behind his neck and placed her head just under his chin. They remained in this position a long moment she never wanted to interrupt, until John proposed, "Maybe we should go back home now. Mom might start to worry."

Cameron looked up at John. "Shall we have sex intercourse now?" she asked innocently.

"Uh, what?" John coughed, turning several shades of red.

"You said people make out or have sex with their dates after the party. I'm your date now, am I not?" Cameron inquired.

"Yeah you are, but listen, Cameron. This is only for people who are ready for it," John tentatively said, hoping not to offend her in her current emotional state.

"You don't want to have sex with me?" Cameron asked with a confused and innocent look.

Cameron's blunt question immediately roused John's hormones. How to resist such an indecent proposal? Cameron was such a beautiful girl and they loved each other. But John preferred to take it easy. Being the boyfriend of a cyborg was weird enough, he wanted to follow her emotional development before considering anything more. He wanted her to be conscious what this act meant, the recognition of their feelings towards each other, the joining of two souls and not only two bodies. The last thing he wanted was to use her as a sex doll. He admitted he wasn't ready either, the idea of making love with a cyborg was disturbing, even if Cameron looked so human and was able to display real emotions.

"Cam, I haven't said anything like this. I just don't want to take advantage of you. You and I are not ready. Let's see how our relationship grows first," he told her with a loving smile. He cupped her face and placed a light kiss on her lips.

However, John's hormones wouldn't admit defeat yet. _Damn John, the most beautiful girl in the world wants to have sex with you and this all you can tell her?_ John forced himself to dismiss this thought.

"Oh, thank you for explaining," Cameron greeted him in sign of understanding. All the same, as John's girlfriend, she was now eager to experience sex with him, so her eyes couldn't hide a hint of disappointment.

They got back into the car. John fired the engine and they left. The journey back to the house was quiet but peaceful, light-years away from what it was one hour ago. They were both thinking that their only prom had finally been magic despite their initial mutual letdown.

Cameron had no special afterthought. She was just happy and proud to be John's girlfriend now. To her surprise, she found this feeling stronger than the satisfaction of having thwarted Riley's plan.

John was happy too, but he knew this was only the start of his problems. Currently, he was not thinking about Cameron, but about Sarah, and he was not thinking about explaining his mother about Riley's plan.

_To hell with all that. She's hot!_

He immediately thought about taking a cold shower to keep his hormones under control.

They arrived at the house at 2:37am. He expected Sarah to wait for them in the living room, arms crossed over her chest, frowning and ready to ask them for a good explanation. He knew they would inevitably be told off, considering the time at which they were returning.

So he reluctantly opened the entrance door and entered, expecting the worst. Though the light was still on in the living room, there was no sign of Sarah.

"Hello? It's us, we're back," he ventured.

No reply.

"Hello?" he repeated a little louder, heading towards the kitchen, so he didn't notice the mess in the living room.

There was still no reply. Suddenly, Cameron passed in front of him, her gun in hand. She nodded in the direction of the living room for John's attention, where all the furniture had been roughly moved and clothes messily lying on the floor.

She motioned him to stay behind her. Then she looked at the staircase where the trail of clothes seemed to lead them. Cameron carefully went up the stairs in full alert mode, constantly scanning the area for threats. She knew from – recent – experience that threats can come whenever you don't expect them.

John started to worry, but he couldn't reconcile himself to staying downstairs.

The trail of clothes was leading towards Sarah's room. Being in alert mode, Cameron made little attention to the nature of the clothes lying on the ground, dress, trousers and various piece of underwear. The red lace bra should have given her a clue nonetheless. Sarah's room door was left slightly ajar. Cameron turned to John and put her finger in front of her mouth to tell him not to make any noise and then pointed at his mother's room. John's worry grew.

Cameron's sensors registered no movement coming from the room, but some noise. Breathing. Steady breathing. _At least there are people alive_, she thought. _Wait! Two breathes?_ That was unexpected, so she thought something serious could have happened. A thermal scan confirmed but she was surprised at the fact the bodies' heat was elevated. With feline grace, she quickly and silently went to the other side of the door where she could operate the handle.

Staying behind the wall, she pushed the door open. No shouts or shots came. So after a few seconds, she decided to take a look into the room.

She quickly positioned herself in the door frame and then, to John's surprise, she relented, smiling.

_What the hell?_ John rushed to find out what amused Cameron so much. He looked into the room, only to discover his mother naked in bed with Derek, both of them sleeping peacefully.

"Mom!" John shouted in shock.

John's cry abruptly woke the two sleepers up. With years of training behind her, it took Sarah just a couple of seconds to get to her senses and identify the intruders.

In spite of the early stirrings of a headache, she first hailed the two reckless teenagers. "Hey, come on in and enter my room, don't mind me!" Cameron complied and made a stride into the room but soon received a well aimed pillow right into her head. She stopped and looked at Sarah, confused about Sarah's blatant contradictory behavior.

Then Sarah realized that she was naked. She promptly lifted the bed sheet over her breast and prepared herself to scold John and Cameron even louder when she noticed Derek's presence beside her. He looked embarrassed and he was… naked too. Sarah opened wide eyes and a total look of misunderstanding showed on her face.

"Derek, what are you doing naked in my bed?" she yelled.

"Uh well, we…" started Derek.

"No… no way… don't you say a word, Reese!" Sarah snapped him in complete denial of what he was about to say. Then she turned to John and Cameron. "This is not what you think John."

"So what am I supposed to think, mom?" John answered, trying to stay serious. But the relief that nothing dreadful had happened and the comical situation made him soon chuckle.

Cameron chimed in. "I think they copulated to conceive a child. Another Connor boy would be disturbing to SkyNet. I believe this is a clever strategy. I understand now your late salty diet to promote likelihood of spawning a boy."

Everybody looked at Cameron eyes wide open. She had her totally blank expression on, so it was impossible to determine if she was serious or not.

Sarah pointed a finger to Cameron. "You, shut up!" Then she tried to explain the unexplainable to her son. "Listen John, after we got back into the house, we decided to have a little party of our own and a few drinks. We thought there was nothing wrong…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at Derek and realized the sheer truth, "Oh no…" she let go in sign of defeat.

John went upset at the realization she'd allowed herself what she denied him.

"No shenanigans, uh?" he said, looking Sarah right in her eyes. "Okay. So, since it's the right time to publicly make out, well…"

He snaked his arm around Cameron's waist and forcefully pressed his lips on hers, leaning her back exaggeratedly. He passionately kissed a very surprised Cameron who grabbed his shoulder not to fall back.

Sarah and Derek gaped in awe. The scene let them both speechless.

A few moments later, he broke the kiss and helped Cameron to set herself upright.

He looked again Sarah right into her eyes and said. "We're square."

Before John took her hand and led her towards his room, Cameron was foolishly smiling with unfocused eyes, savoring the moment. She abruptly disappeared from the door frame in surprise, as if a tornado had taken her away. She just had the time to think how close to the general she once knew this John had become.

**THE END**

For those who did not recognize, the lyrics are from the song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" from Brian Adams, original soundtrack from the movie "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", 1991 with Kevin Costner and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.


End file.
